The Whole Experience

I'm not a person to do things by halves. If I'm going to do something it has to be completely or not at all (unless I'm feeling particularly flaky and can't be bothered). Anyway, in order to have the complete cancer experience, or should that be Cancer Experience, and in order to have something to blog about I have contracted an infection in my Hickman Line and have been admitted to the Chartwell Unit Inpatients Ward.
I had some pain in the line last week but I thought I'd pulled it which sometimes happens as the line hangs out of me about a foot long and tends to get in the way of things like clothes and my other boob.
I didn't feel great for a couple of days, a bit tired really but I just put that down to the chemo. To be honest, everything that happens now I put down to the chemo. Every little burp or fart - 'er, yeah that's the chemo, it's not me!'. By Saturday evening I felt really bad, I was headachy and grouchy and I suddenly got really really cold. You know when it gets into your bones and you just CANNOT get warm. So I got into bed with a million (slight exaggeration) blankets and a hot water bottle. I took my temperature and it was 38.4C. That is high. Anything over 37.5C and I have to call the Chartwell for advice as it indicates an infection (mothers will know this, it is one of the first signs in children that something is wrong).
Just before midnight Ash phoned them and they said the worst thing 'come in'. So Ash's sister Emma and her partner Steve (and baby bump AKA Jelly Bean) came and picked us up and took us into the hospital. They took blood and did all the normal observations and I saw a doctor. They gave me some antibiotics (Clarithromycin and Amoxicillin) orally and then they moved me to the Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) at about 4am.
I had napped throughout these proceedings because yes, it was late and we were about to go to bed when we'd called the hospital but also I had taken some Nortriptyline for my back (to relax the muscles and prevent back ache) and it works as a sleeping tablet too so I could hardly keep my eyes open.

I got settled in to EAU, Ash went and kipped in the porter's lodge as there was no way he could get home at that time of night. The next day I spent on EAU just hanging around and playing Sudoku on my Nintendo DS. The doctors came round to see me and took some more blood.
At 5:20am Monday morning (Bank Holiday) I was woken from a lovely sleep (aided by a sleeping pill) by my nurse (who was really sweet) and told that I was moving down to the Chartwell Unit (result! it is much nicer down there and they had just moved in an old man to the bed next to me who was confused and did really smelly poos).

The Chartwell Unit bedrooms are all single so that patients can be isolated in case they are particularly prone to infection. Also, some people stay in the Chartwell for quite a while and are very seriously ill. Also, it is probably the unit with the biggest budget in the hospital because cancer is so high profile. I have a room that is about as big as a small hotel room (and a great deal cleaner!). There is an ensuite bathroom with a loo and shower. I also have (aside from the Patientline TV that all the beds have) a TV with a DVD player which one of the nurses found for me (thanks, Michelle!). I DID have an easy chair that reclined but apparently there was some little old lady that needed it more than me. HMPH! Now I have a regular chair which I hate as it is awful for my back. Luckily I haven't been sitting in it too much.

*UPDATE*
It is Monday 31 March just before noon and I am home! It has been a funny week of being in hospital because as of last Tuesday I have been feeling OK. The old Vancomycin (V V V V strong antibiotic) kicked in nice and quickly and so I was let out on Day Release. I mostly came home and did housework and stuff. It was weird having to go back to the hospital to sleep though. The general pattern of my day was:
0600 Get woken up to have blood pressure taken
0700 Get woken up and asked if I would like a cup of tea (the answer was always a very sleepy "no, thank you"
0800 Get woken up and given breakfast (unless I was going out for breakfast or I was waiting for Ashley to bring me Maccy D's Sausage & Egg McMuffin!)
0805 Morning medication (just Omeprazole)
0810 Get hooked up to machine to give me antibiotics. It was a small bag of saline (250ml) with 20ml Vancomycin added and it had to run through a pump to make sure that it didn't go through too quickly.
0950 Antibiotics finished! Bleep nurse to unhook me from machine so that I can pee!
1000 Shower and dress
1030 Leave for the day (unless there was a ward round and I had to wait for the doctors to see me, that means not leaving til about lunchtime)
1600 Start looking forward to seeing Ashley
1720 Ash home (cuddles)
1800 Dinner
1900 Leave to get back to the hospital
2000 Antibiotics
2140 Antibiotics finish
2200 Evening medication (Nortryptaline)
2300 Sleep

I managed to get in a couple of lunches and a christening this week which isn't too bad for someone that is supposed to be ill and in hospital!
My immediate family visited (apart from those who couldn't) and my mum and dad sent me some beautiful tulips in a jug that I can re-use (hurrah!).

So, I'm home and am probably not going to do anything more interesting than tidy up and do some washing. I have to go back to the hospital tomorrow to have some more blood taken from the line and checked to see if the infection is still there. The results will take a few days so I'll see the Oncologists on Wednesday with the view that if the results come through in time and are OK then I will have my next dose of chemo on Friday and if not, it will be postponed until next week.

Fingers crossed everyone that the infection has gone otherwise the line will have to be taken out and a new one put in :(

Love
Liz
xxx