This has been a rough week. I have felt unwell for most of it, with temperature fluctuations that left me alternately shivering and uncomfortably warm. On Wednesday the consultant decided that I had an infection, and that it needed hospital treatment, so Gillian took me down to Cheltenham. I had had a blood test in Worcester while seeing the consultant, and I’d taken the results with me to show the staff at the hospital. Nevertheless, they decided that they would do their own tests so that they were accessible on their own systems. It was clear that I was extremely unwell, with my Neutrophil levels now at 0.74, significantly below 1.0, the level which is regarded as dangerous. I was admitted, not to a ward, but to an isolated room for the next four days.
During the next two days my Neutrophil levels continued to fall, staying first at 0.74 one day, and then falling to 0.5 on the following day. I was being treated with intravenous antibiotics called Tasocine and Gentomycin. The Gentomycin was given in a bag through the drip, but the Tasocine was injected straight into the line. It was really weird because within about five seconds of the injection starting I started to smell a very strong hydrocarbon smell. That smell was clearly an illusion as the nurse giving the injection was unable to smell it too. In fact she said that most patients reported a metallic taste in their mouths, and she had only ever heard of one other person who smelt something instead of tasting it. Most peculiar.
As there was very little to do in hospital, my reading matter soon ran out, and I was reduced to watching television. Fortunately they had a rather nice set, with Freeview, so I was able to watch Film 4, which was better than watching daytime TV. But I must confess to watching a couple of episodes of Countdown, even though I was unable to compete with the contestants as well as “normally”.
On Friday evening Gillian was brought to Cheltenham by a friend, and brought with her some much needed books and several changes of clothes; I had packed enough clothes for only two days, as that was what I had been led to expect. She also brought my laptop, so I was able to catch up with some of my online tasks. The next day I was due to go home after a blood transfusion, but when my temperature was taken while Gillian was there waiting for me, it seemed to be a little high (37.7°C) so a doctor was consulted and eventually she advised that it would be better to continue the IV antibiotics for another night. By this time I was no longer neutropenic so I was moved onto a ward, where there was no TV, nor any Internet access. Thank goodness I now had some more reading matter! On Sunday the doctors finally agreed that it was safe for me to go home, and I left in the middle of the afternoon, although I’ve been sent away with a few more pills and potions: Augmentin is a strong anti-biotic; and I have magnesium hydroxide and potassium supplements to take as well.
Now that I’m home, I’ve had a very good day. It’s been essentially pain free, and I’ve got lots of things done that I just haven’t had the energy for: photos for some eBay auctions; editing a couple of audiobook sections for LibriVox; shopping; cooking; and laundry. And this evening we listened to an episode of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue on tape, a spontaneous loan from another friend. What fun!
