Hi everyone,
I came home from work Friday and learned that my hubby had a low grade fever
most the day. The onc prescribed him a strong antibiotic but didn't get it
called in to the pharmacy until afternoon. By then his temp was 103 (when I
got in from school). He seemed to be somewhat in a daze, sleeping sitting
straight up and was burning up with fever. I gave him the pill and called
his onc back. We were told to take him to ER.
We arrived at 5 p.m. and were finally sent to the back about an hour later
because I raised to so much hell since he was being exposed to all these
germs in the waiting room where kids were coughing, sneezing, etc. He was
put in this room where he could rest but was in extreme pain, coughing like
crazy and had fever. He was in living hell there. A couple of nurses checked
him out, asking the same old questions like how long has he had the cough,
etc...they couldn't understand that he had a lung tumor and had been on his
first chemo round.
I had a feeling that something had to be done quickly because I could see
that he was fading fast. Our six grown kids were all there, worried, and we
waited and waited while he suffered and suffered. Blood was drawn finally,
and the dr. on call came in and told us how drastically the WBC was and that
it would be touch and go until the WBC came up yet nothing was being done
about it.
The answer we kept getting from staff in ER was that they were trying to
reach my hubby's onc and trying to get him admitted to the hospital but that
until he was in a regular room that they couldn't do anything about
anything. Finally, at 1 a.m. (he had been suffering seven hours in ER), they
started an IV and admitted him to the hospital and sent us to a room where
they administered IV antibiotics, pain meds, etc.
He was so exhausted by this time and didn't look like he would even make it
through the night. We ended up staying in the hospital until today (Tuesday)
until they could get the fever down and let the antibiotics do their
thing...he also got shots for RBC and two blood transfusions. The next day
his onc came in and checked him out and asked us how long we had to wait in
ER and seemed a bit steamed over that situation.
The onc checked him out today and said the node in front of his ear was
completely gone and said the chemo was obviously working. He said when he
was free of fever for 24 hours that he could go home, so we're home now
loaded down with more meds. Tonight he did have a bit of fever, 100, but the
onc said not to worry unless it got higher than that. He feels much better
now, actually has an apetite, and looks so much better than he did on
Friday.
The onc said when he comes in Tuesday for the second round of chemo that he
also get some shot that would help him keep from having such a strong
adverse reaction to the chemo, and I am wondeing why didn't he do that the
first time. His long hair (he's musician) has been coming out by the
handfuls, so we buzzed it off for him, and I told him he looks like Ben
Kingsley, and our son said he looks like a British rock star.
Have any of you had experiences like this after chemo and had to be in ER
like that for so long. Oh, also, he was put in a reverse isolation room
after he was admitted to the hospital where anyone coming in the room had to
wear a mask, gloves and a gown but when the on-call onc got there the next
day, she said that wasn't necessary and changed it. They really have me
confused.
His WBC count to back to normal now as are the RBCs, but tonight his feet
seem somewhat swollen. Is any of this normal?
Sorry for the long post. I just do not know what's up with this. Thanks for
any advice.
God Bless!
Giuditta
I'm back...been at hospital all weekend and then some 
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