So much for time off!

May 20 - 28, 2013

So our 2-3 weeks off started off OK with good times on Monday and Tuesday at school.
On Tuesday night however, it all went a bit pair shaped.

At around 11.00pm Mitch woke up shivering and them vomiting.  His temperature went from 37.1 to 39.7 over the next 30-40mins.  After a call to the hospital and some consternation about whether to call and ambulance, Lisa drove him in to Emergency arriving around 12.35am.

Straight to ER and onto broad-spectrum antibiotics to try and cover off any number of infections.  His blood pressure dropped and heart rate increased during the night until the ER doctors started talking about an induced coma to 'slow things down'.  They had told Lisa that he had a blood infection (Sepsis) and, at that time, the infection was winning.

Fortunately, by the time I got to Resus that morning, where he had been moved during the night, his BP was starting to rise. Over the next hour he stabilised further and was moved up to ICU.

ICU

After more needles and arterial tubing was inserted, we spent the rest of that day and half of the next in ICU being tended to very closely and pumped full of various drugs and solutions. 

Only so much iPad...

May 1 - 19, 2013
The start of May was good and bad.  Bad because the first week was a bit yuck and then Mitch's platelets were too low to start his next round but good because it means another week off and now feeling pretty good.

This meant a full week at school and almost normal life for us all.  It also meant Mother's Day was spent at home with all of us at home and a chance to catch up with some family.

A blood test on the Monday after Mother's Day saw platelets still low, but close enough.  The doctors didn't want to wait too long before getting the next block underway, so in on Monday night for our last session in this Interim Maintenance block.

The week was pretty standard for this block.  Flush with saline, Chemo, more flushing and waiting....and waiting... 
A little different this time as we were confined to one of the "Transplant" wards because the normal ward was full.  This is an air-locked ward with far fewer people, visitors and  passers-by.  Mitch entertains himself on the iPad pretty well between visits from nurses and the RCH teachers but towards the end of the week there's only so much iPad you can play to pass the time.
Saturday's residual chemo levels were so close... but yet so far.  That meant one more full day in because blood test results don't come back until 4.30-5.00 in the afternoon.
...at least it gave me time to catch up on this blog.

Doc's tell us we have 2-3 weeks "off" now until the 'Delyed Intensification' block begins.  We'll try and forget what we expect that to bring and enjoy the time at home.

Cheers all.  Until next time.