I had an over night admission when my last 5FU pump was removed due to a tight feeling in my chest. I had three ECG's, all fine there. The doctor whom dealt with me seemed to think it was the 5FU giving me a last kick before it was disconnected by irritating the arteries around my heart. Apparently this is a less common side effect of this chemo. Nice!
The doctor thought it best to keep me in overnight for monitoring as I was given a tablet to ease the tight chest (can't remember the name of it) - side effects of the tablet included a lowering of blood pressure. Mine is already low, runs at about 90/60 so he didn't want me flaking out at home. This tablet worked wonders, I only had to take half of it! I have to thank my sister in law who is an oncology and haematology nurse on the day unit, for running around the hospital on behalf of the doctor who'd prescribed it...for an hour to get this drug for me, so thank you J. You little star xx
I was given bail the next morning, felt very tired but a lot better. Home was my destination.
A week later came problem(s) number two. I had three 'owwwies' this time in the form of a lump in my arm pit, a massive spot on my face and the site of my picc line being sore.
Attractive.
Being the good patient I am, I didn't want to sit on these problems so another visit to the hospital it was for me. It may sound stupid to a fit person to go into hospital for these issues but I didn't know if I was Neutropenic at the time. The last thing I wanted was to have a bad infection that meant more hospital time.
I'm glad I went in. To be fair, it was actually Paul who'd insisted I get these problems checked out. My biggest concern was the lump under my arm, there was a small hard nodule, smaller than a pea and it was quite painful when I moved my arm. Dark thoughts crept into my mind and I immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was either a) a bowel cancer reoccurrence in my lymph node or b) a primary breast cancer lump.
- Naughty - *slaps own face*
It turned out to be none of these things. It was a blocked sweat gland (eww) and it disappeared within a couple of days.
Lump on my face. This turned out to be an infected spot. Chemo had made my skin regress to my fourteen year old self. I'm not exaggerating when I say this thing had a pulse of its own.
In fact, here's a picture of it:
It was incredibly red and angry. Another one of those strange things that would normally be an embarrassment but for someone who is immune suppressed, potentially a dangerous situation. I'd urge anyone who is on chemo to get these little niggles checked before they get out of hand. As a result of that spot, I was given ten days worth of antibiotics!
Third problem was the picc line. It felt quite sore and irritated at the entry site. The doctor took a look, he didn't seem concerned and said I'd probably just knocked it. Nothing else was done about that.
Happily, no hospital stay was required as my bloods were at an acceptable level to fight infection. Very pleased about that!
Fast forward a few days and I had my post chemo meeting with Dr B, my oncologist. My bloods were checked again in case I needed a blood transfusion, I didn't. My Hb was at 9.4 which has increased since my last chemo so he was happy for my body to do the work. I'm anaemic but not enough to cause any concern so I've been on a leafy green vegetable health drive to boost my iron count. I don't eat red meat which is the best source of iron apparently. Dr B suggested I eat liver....erm, no way!!!
Apart from that, Dr B seemed happy with me and said I should get the picc line removed. I even got a hand shake!
After the appointment, I booked my slot to get the picc removed next day.
It was so nice to have the picc line removed, my arm feels a less cumbersome now. One of the lovely nurses who dealt with me on the ward when I had my nightmare blockage (see chemotherapy #4 post for more details) took out my line. It was an odd feeling but didn't hurt at all, just a weird pulling sensation. It was out within two minutes.
Lovely nurse B was in that day and we had a big hug. This is when I burst into tears in the middle of the busy day unit. It felt like a weird mixture of relief that my entire treatment - ten months of it including my surgery and recovery from that, was at an end. It was also the feeling of sadness to say goodbye to all the lovely nurses who'd looked after me so beautifully throughout.
With all due respect to them, I never want to see them in a professional sense again. Of course, this doesn't include my sister in law!
It hasn't all been about post chemo annoyances and hospitals though. I've been working on building my strength back up. Going out in the fresh air, taking short walks and doing some online retail therapy. I was lucky enough to have a girly day out last Thursday. It was the best day I've had for a very long time. It involved a few drinks, my make up being done then spending a lot of money on said makeup. Laughs, lovely lunch, manicure and a cocktail at the end of the day. It was lovely to feel normal and less hospitally (I'm making up words again, but you know what I mean.) Thanks ladies for making it such a fabulous day!
The beginning of lots more lovely times ahead.
So that's what's happened after chemo. I have my CT scan on Wednesday. I've been trying to keep it at the back of my mind, I'll have to wait a month for my results. I have an appointment with Dr B booked to have the big reveal on November 26th at 2pm. Please keep all your fingers, toes and eyes crossed for another big fat all clear for me.
Whatever the outcome, I'll post an update about it.
A massive thank you to ALL who have read, supported, shared and commented on my blog. It's really kept me going through this rather difficult year. You're all treasures.
Hayley x
