Well the snow made everything look lovely but - like many other people - totally messed up our plans! We were snowed in til xmas eve. We’d had no post and, therefore, no presents delivered for a week. Radiotherapy delayed after lots of to-ing and fro-ing and pacing up and down when we got a message saying “Don’t worry! There’s a six week window from the end of your last chemo.” We’re already in week 7. Then we got another message saying “Don’t worry! A delay won’t affect your type of cancer”. The other concern was that it had been, yet again, over a week since my line was flushed. I made appointments for xmas eve and a neighbour offered to take us round to our car which was parked up the hill at the pub so that we could get it out. It’s a 20 minute walk up a very steep hill or a 15 minute drive round the road. 30 minutes if you have to do it twice because you’ve forgotten the car keys :D Thanks to the kitchen staff who all came out to push us off the car park! The main roads were ok and we got to hospital in time. Had a short wait in radiotherapy then went in for final planning session. They lined up all the dots and re-scanned me. I asked for anti-sickness (ondansetron) prescription so that I’d have it ready for next Tuesday. Doc appeared just at that moment and wrote the prescription. Excellent, we wouldn’t have to wait for ages while that was sorted. Went round to haematology day unit to get my line flushed. Blood was sluggish but got there in the end. I was last in so everyone got a flyer which was nice for them. A last run round the supermarket and then to find some new tree lights at 5pm - one box left and sales assistant gave them to us for half price! We hadn’t been able to get out for our usual ‘real’ tree so Pete found an artificial one reduced in Sainsbury’s. We set off home congratulating ourselves on having pulled it all together - apart from wrapping stuff… We’d planned to drive to a friend’s house a mile of home and walk the rest of the way. Between all of us we could carry the food home - the boys were going there for a drink after work so they could bring some of it home. But it was freezing cold, damp, foggy and dark so we decided that me walking home wasn’t the best idea. Another good neighbour drove us the 5 minutes to home. The fire was roaring and the boys had decorated the living room while we were out so it was starting to look really festive. We’d collected a load of parcels that had been left with a few people down the dale - so we had some presents! A quick dinner , then we’d start. Then the shivers started - not teeth chattering but ‘inside’ if anyone knows what I mean. I was really thirsty but not at all hungry. A had a dull headache coming on too. I was wearing about 6 layers but still needed to wrap myself up in a duvet. Took temperature - 38.5 Then that sinking feeling when you know you’re going to have to go in to hospital (however great the staff are). Took off the duvet and a few other layers and retook temperature 30 minutes later - 38.4. OK, ring the hospital, get the bag ready because you might be on antibiotics for a week. Ring the boys at work to let them know what’s going on. Ring friend to come in Land Rover and take us to our car. He apologised for not being able to take us to hospital because he’d already drunk a bottle of wine. Got to ward at 10.30pm and waited in a side room. Our thermometer showed 38+ all the way there. Obs taken and bloods / cultures taken from line - temperature 36.2. What?!? Well at least they'll send me on my way then! Consultant on call had other ideas and recommended Tazocin and Gentomicin straight away on the assumption that the line was infected. Had to wait til midnight for a doctor to come and take peripheral blood sample and go through symptoms etc. No beds on Haematology so waited for Oncology. Got it at 4am. Started antibiotics straight away. They’re only ‘short’ bags so had about an hour’s sleep before early morning obs - temp 38.5. Breakfast trolley came at 7.45ish and so on…Totally knackered and not at all xmassy , haha. Couldn’t face food so passed up on the turkey dinner (with wine!) and the ‘festive pie’ at tea-time. Got a present from the staff which was a nice touch. Not sure about the xmas cracker to pull by myself, haha. Doctor on call was a turn. Took 5 goes to get my blood “Dear Gott in heaven! Vere are your veins voman!” (he was German) and “Do you read books (“Sharp scratch”) ? Have you read Goethe? (“sharp scratch”) I love Tolstoy! (“sharp scratch”) I vill not be beaten. Don’t vorry! I am not a learner (“sharp scratch”)” and so on. We’d been told a haematology doctor would come and see me this morning; that I’d go for a chest x-ray and that I’d be having more antibiotics. None of it happened. I ended up getting Pete to ring knowing we’d get some kind of answer that way - just wanted to know roughly how long I’d be in for… Haematology Doc had been on the ward but didn’t know I was there. They chased up the x-ray. I got more antibiotics. We ‘cleared the air’ at teatime and we’re all friends again now J . Pete, Joseph and Jordan came to visit bearing gifts which raised my spirits. Not the Xmas we’d planned. Labs rang. Blood cultures showed an infection so now they do more tests to try and pinpoint it and decide which antibiotics to use. Looks like I’m here for a while. Ho ! Ho! *$!%ing Ho! x
