In The Hospital

NoDuck · July 2012

Looks like it was a tough weekend for a lot of us. Hubby has two cisplatin chemos and 26 rads under his belt with lots of side effects but hanging in there. Then, he started running a fever Saturday afternoon, getting up to 100.2. We used Tylenol to get it down but if we waited more than 4 hours for a dose, it started creeping back up.

By 2 am Sunday it was down to 99.1 and had been for awhile so we thought it was safe to sleep. We got up at 530 am and he was at 101.7 and by 6am 102.2. We headed to the ER (a 115 mile trip. Yes there are closer ones but not ones you would want to treat you. And I made the trip in an hour and 27 minutes -- thank God for I-40 in Oklahoma -- there are only 2 stoplights between my house and the hospital!)

He had a rough time in ER. The fever stayed high and the chills were so violent the bed would shake. The good news is that as soon as he identified himself as a cancer patient the minute we walked in, they sent us straight to a private waiting area out of the masses of weekend ER patients. Bad news was we were in ER for 9 hours! He is in a room now. Still has a fever and waiting on blood cultures to be completed this afternoon. Guessing it is a kidney or bladder infection because since he started the broad spectrum antibiotic, he has had less trouble urinating. That has been an issue since he started treatment but most of it was attributed to side effect from the PEG tube surgery (general anesthesia) and "age-related" voiding issues. Said they would keep him until he was fever free for 24 hours.

Since we were able to get to the OU hospital, he has the ability to be transported to the OU Cancer Center for his last 9 rads. May skip today but could get back on schedule. His last chemo is Friday but chemo doc won't give a yes or no on that until we know more about the infection. When she made rounds this morning, she said "yes, this is about when that (fever) starts."

As odd as it sounds, we are praying he can finish treatment, even the last chemo. I say it sounds odd because wanting to be subjected to all these horrid effects sounds masochistic. But we also know that is part of the fight.

Sorry for the long post. Just hope our experience might help someone else. Thanks for your prayers and prayers right back to you. Appreciate our CSN Friends!

Deb

katenorwood · July 2012

Prayers sent !
Deb,
I'm so sorry for all the trouble your husband is encountering. I pray he can finish off all treatments, and things turn around soon. And yes you can count on prayers being sent out ! Warmest regards, Katie

Skiffin16 · July 2012

Comfort....
Glad you are in an area that can offer comfort...

When I would be at the hospital for something and my wife was always nervous and apprehensive. I would always remind her...at least if something were to happen, you couldn't be in a better place as for speed of attention and care.

The cisplatin can be especially hard on the kidneys...one of the reasons they give you lasix right after giving it to you...helps to flush the kidneys very quickly.

Best,
John

phrannie51 · July 2012

Sorry this weekend was rough
for you guys....sometimes the hospital is the only option...Hoping that the antibiotics hit the infection, and you can get back to treatments.

I don't think it sounds odd at all wanting to get all these treatments in...we know we got to have them all...delays don't count, breakdown of equipment dosesn't count, we gotta have it cuz we want to get well and stay that way. We might have to put something off for a few days, but we aren't going to get out of doing it at all...

p

Ingrid K · July 2012

it will be okay
Deb, sorry your hubby is having issues, but as others have said, he's in the best possible place to get them taken care of. Hope they can fix him right up and he can continue the journey. This is just a little bump in the road.

hwt · July 2012

Ingrid K said:
it will be okay
Deb, sorry your hubby is having issues, but as others have said, he's in the best possible place to get them taken care of. Hope they can fix him right up and he can continue the journey. This is just a little bump in the road.

Sorry to hear. I had allot
Sorry to hear. I had allot of trouble following my very 1st cisplatin treatment so the ONC dropped me back to 1/2 dose weekly and I was ever so thankful. After 1st treatment, I was dehydrated and had a couple hours fluid at the hospital daily for a week or more but no high temp like your husband. If cisplatin is the cause, just wanted to make you aware that 1/2 doses more frequently are an option. Best of luck.

CivilMatt · July 2012

keep getting better
Deb,

Sounds like a busy weekend, so glad you are in a place that can help. I don’t blame you for wanting to finish the whole round of treatments; we all want to make sure we got it all.

I was doing a little calculation here and it appears you averaged 79 mph on your jaunt and that is if the two red lights were green. Wow, if I ever need a driver I know who to call.

Best,

Matt

NoDuck · July 2012

CivilMatt said:
keep getting better
Deb,

Sounds like a busy weekend, so glad you are in a place that can help. I don’t blame you for wanting to finish the whole round of treatments; we all want to make sure we got it all.

I was doing a little calculation here and it appears you averaged 79 mph on your jaunt and that is if the two red lights were green. Wow, if I ever need a driver I know who to call.

Best,

Matt

NASCAR Fan
Guess all those hours watching NASCAR paid off. The 79 is probably a good average. The first few miles are country roads that slowed me down a bit .

In all our trips we didn't see but two or three troopers. Sunday we saw two within a few miles of each other. Thank goodness they were already busy with other speeders.

He's better but still no verdict on the cause of the fever. But it's down to 101.7 and felt good enough for a shower.

Keep up the good fight folks!

Deb

Laralyn · July 2012

Sorry to hear this!
You're not alone, though. I was hospitalized twice during my treatments, both times because I couldn't stop throwing up and nausea prevented me from holding down any nutrition or hydration. My oncologist said about a third of the patients who go through this end up hospitalized at least once.

Once he gets out of the hospital, emphasize nutrition and hydration. Those four weeks of being super sick plus the two hospital stays did me in more than the treatments, in some ways, and I wish I had been more regimented afterward about nutrition and hydration.

sonyk728 · July 2012

Never apologize for a post
Deb- sorry to hear of your awful weekend. Remember that this discussion board is to air your fears, happiness, sadness, whatever. Most of us have been there and we hurt when others go through B.S. I hope he's doing better. Take care.

Billie67 · July 2012

sonyk728 said:
Never apologize for a post
Deb- sorry to hear of your awful weekend. Remember that this discussion board is to air your fears, happiness, sadness, whatever. Most of us have been there and we hurt when others go through B.S. I hope he's doing better. Take care.

Sending prayers, so very
Sending prayers, so very sorry! Don't forget to remember to take care of you!

NoDuck · July 2012

Billie67 said:
Sending prayers, so very
Sending prayers, so very sorry! Don't forget to remember to take care of you!

Now We Know
Why he is so sick -- clostridium difficle bacterial infection -- c diff for short. All the symptoms -- watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea , abdominal pain and tenderness are all "common" treatment side effects so while we kept reporting all those symptoms to the docs, it was assumed it was the treatment. Even the abdominal pain was chalked up to peg tube and the stresses of the vomiting.

Temp is down. We can stop the broad spectrum antibiotics and hit it with a specific one -- metronidazole. He was even able to get in a rad today -- 8 to go!

But he will not get the last cisplatin treatment. We talked it over with the oncologist and the possible reward was not worth the risk. We are comfortable with the decision to forego the last chemo. Dale gave it all he had and then some so we will put the rest of it in the hands of the Lord.

So we're back in our seat on the bus. See ya at the next stop.

Deb

katenorwood · July 2012

NoDuck said:
Now We Know
Why he is so sick -- clostridium difficle bacterial infection -- c diff for short. All the symptoms -- watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea , abdominal pain and tenderness are all "common" treatment side effects so while we kept reporting all those symptoms to the docs, it was assumed it was the treatment. Even the abdominal pain was chalked up to peg tube and the stresses of the vomiting.

Temp is down. We can stop the broad spectrum antibiotics and hit it with a specific one -- metronidazole. He was even able to get in a rad today -- 8 to go!

But he will not get the last cisplatin treatment. We talked it over with the oncologist and the possible reward was not worth the risk. We are comfortable with the decision to forego the last chemo. Dale gave it all he had and then some so we will put the rest of it in the hands of the Lord.

So we're back in our seat on the bus. See ya at the next stop.

Deb

Prayers answered !
Deb,
I'm so glad you got the answers you two needed ! Hoping all goes well from here on out ! Will keep you both in my thoughts ! Warmest regards ! Katie

Tim6003 · July 2012

katenorwood said:
Prayers answered !
Deb,
I'm so glad you got the answers you two needed ! Hoping all goes well from here on out ! Will keep you both in my thoughts ! Warmest regards ! Katie

Hi No Duck
..I feel so bad I did not read your post till now ...I've been sooooo busy at work (resort town and it's summer) ..

Whispered a prayer that all continues to get better and you can finish up your treatments and move to the other side and all be well

Prayers sent !!!

Tim

phrannie51 · July 2012

NoDuck said:
Now We Know
Why he is so sick -- clostridium difficle bacterial infection -- c diff for short. All the symptoms -- watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea , abdominal pain and tenderness are all "common" treatment side effects so while we kept reporting all those symptoms to the docs, it was assumed it was the treatment. Even the abdominal pain was chalked up to peg tube and the stresses of the vomiting.

Temp is down. We can stop the broad spectrum antibiotics and hit it with a specific one -- metronidazole. He was even able to get in a rad today -- 8 to go!

But he will not get the last cisplatin treatment. We talked it over with the oncologist and the possible reward was not worth the risk. We are comfortable with the decision to forego the last chemo. Dale gave it all he had and then some so we will put the rest of it in the hands of the Lord.

So we're back in our seat on the bus. See ya at the next stop.

Deb

Alrighty then!!
Back on the bus!! Only 8 rads to go...WOW! Nothing like those single digits to get us thinking they really DO come to an end! The countdown is on....He almost done! YEAH!

I'm glad they know what's going on with Dale, metronadazole is a great drug...it always clears things up quick. I usually keep some around for my puppers.

p

hwt · July 2012

phrannie51 said:
Alrighty then!!
Back on the bus!! Only 8 rads to go...WOW! Nothing like those single digits to get us thinking they really DO come to an end! The countdown is on....He almost done! YEAH!

I'm glad they know what's going on with Dale, metronadazole is a great drug...it always clears things up quick. I usually keep some around for my puppers.

p

What a relief!
Glad you have a resolution and are back on the road to finishing the rads...those last 8 will go quickly. I missed my final chemo tx also. ONC said they had given me all they felt they could safely give and I had a free pass on the last one. I had to trust her.

Laralyn · July 2012

NoDuck said:
Now We Know
Why he is so sick -- clostridium difficle bacterial infection -- c diff for short. All the symptoms -- watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea , abdominal pain and tenderness are all "common" treatment side effects so while we kept reporting all those symptoms to the docs, it was assumed it was the treatment. Even the abdominal pain was chalked up to peg tube and the stresses of the vomiting.

Temp is down. We can stop the broad spectrum antibiotics and hit it with a specific one -- metronidazole. He was even able to get in a rad today -- 8 to go!

But he will not get the last cisplatin treatment. We talked it over with the oncologist and the possible reward was not worth the risk. We are comfortable with the decision to forego the last chemo. Dale gave it all he had and then some so we will put the rest of it in the hands of the Lord.

So we're back in our seat on the bus. See ya at the next stop.

Deb

Almost done!
So glad to hear he's doing better and only 8 rads to go!

I missed one chemo treatment too, when I was in the hospital. My oncologist said they always aim for overkill (literally) and he assured me that missing one was no big deal. It sounds like your husband's treatment plan was the same as mine, so I'm sure it's also fine for him to miss it.

ditto1 · July 2012

NoDuck said:
Now We Know
Why he is so sick -- clostridium difficle bacterial infection -- c diff for short. All the symptoms -- watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea , abdominal pain and tenderness are all "common" treatment side effects so while we kept reporting all those symptoms to the docs, it was assumed it was the treatment. Even the abdominal pain was chalked up to peg tube and the stresses of the vomiting.

Temp is down. We can stop the broad spectrum antibiotics and hit it with a specific one -- metronidazole. He was even able to get in a rad today -- 8 to go!

But he will not get the last cisplatin treatment. We talked it over with the oncologist and the possible reward was not worth the risk. We are comfortable with the decision to forego the last chemo. Dale gave it all he had and then some so we will put the rest of it in the hands of the Lord.

So we're back in our seat on the bus. See ya at the next stop.

Deb

OU HIGHWAYS
Hey Deb, sorry your husband is going thru some rough stuff and hopefully heading in a better direction. Im about half way thru my treatments same as others good days and bad days. On the lighter side, I think I remember your husband is a big OSU fan but you were still willing to deal with his cancer in SOONER VILLE. My father and mother (both rest in peace were big OU fans) but half the family in OK were OSU fans so needless to say even though we live in KC and Im a Chiefs fan I enjoyed the bantering between them and their teams. My dad had every Sooner bumper sticker, flag, you name it. to this day I think there was a car under all those bumper stickers. I hope Im correct in my bloging all this OU football talk to you and have my team correct for your husband. So this year we will root for OSU (unless they play OU. LOL ) So tell your hubby to hang in there its almost Football season. God Bless

In The Hospital

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