Saturday 19 January 2008

2007 Sep 13th - Unlucky for Some

Thursday, September 13, 2007


Aaaagghhh. Can I have any MORE bad luck?
Category: Life

Well after the good news from Onco re reduced dose AND sentence (it feels like I got parole for good behaviour) AND the Willow Foundation coming up trumps with our break in Sherwood Forest I think I got a bit complacent.

Had some family dramas this week resulting in me spending more time with my ex husband than I have in total over the 10 years we've been apart and in my house too. How civilised are we? Funny how you can put differences aside when it comes to your kids isn't it, well MOST of us can.

Anyway because the first three days of this week were very stressful (I could hear my heart thumping loudly and was pretty sure my blood pressure was high) I just couldn't face the shower, the bath guard, the hairdryer, the straighteners or finding something I've not yet worn to the chemo suite to go and have my line flushed. It's been sore this last week and I have a swollen pus-filled red hot lump around the entry site. On Tuesday due to a hot sticky night (yeah that fabulous radiation induced menopause again) the waterproof dressing started to come away a bit so I cleaned it with a swab from my supplies and stuck some new gauze and another waterproof dressing on as a temporary measure to absorb the yukky stuff.

Today after some Chemicals (as in The Chemical Brothers at full blast) I felt up to dragging myself into the shower and witnessing large quantities of hair block up the bath trap - having to empty it three times to drain the shower afterwards. It's getting a bit upsetting now seeing it on my pillow. More hair comes out when I wash it that when it was a foot longer, defo the chemo! Cringe!

I arrived at the chemo suite about 3.45 and got a prime disabled spot in the free car park (say what you like about cancer, free parking is always a bonus). Thought as I'd only had one slice of toast all day and three ginger biscuits I ought to eat something else (hunger signals don't appear to reach my brain any more and I'm trying to maintain my weight but god it's hard, never thought I've have that problem). I had a healthy lemon chicken wrap, a piece of cake (for calories) and a packet of French Fries, salted of course to replace what I collect in the bag on daily basis.

Needn't have rushed because I didn't get seen for an hour. They did have the requisite three nurses which was a bonus but a LOT of patients so I waited outside and forced the food down, wishing I'd got a drink because my tongue is cracked which I think means I'm dehydrated AGAIN.

Matron (ooo matron) looked at my dressing and was NOT happy. In fact she said how unhappy she was with it approximately 7 times, just to me. Lisa the nurse looked at it, they called the Lone Ranger down to look at it. Matron took a swab to see what it grows in the lab - hopefully another life form, maybe a cure for colorectal cancer? She cleaned it up while the Lone Ranger scrawled a prescription for antibiotics and it started bleeding - this made her VERY unhappy. I'm thinking, should I actually be worrying at this point? I keep carping on to the kids that they must wash their hands etc because I have to avoid infection and still managed to get one under waterproof dressings.

Lisa literally "ran like the wind" in her own words to try and make it to the pharmacy before it shut at 5pm, but not fast enough. She rang my surgery who said I could go to their pharmacy to get it. Great. New dressing on after the air had got to my seeping wound, which by the way smells rotten and off I went.

The Pharmacy refused to fill the script. To be fair it does state only to be used in hospital pharmacy on it, but you know I'm a bloody cancer patient, I'm on chemo, I have lowered resistance to infection - which could kill me if my white cells are low enough (they're not right now, don't panic), give me the sodding drugs. Snotty chemist bloke said he couldn't apologise for something someone else had done and that I needed to make an appointment with my GP and get him to redo it. FFS! After a half hour wait in the surgery (no-one admitting to taking the phone call which I heard Lisa make myself) one of the docs put the prescription onto a different piece of paper and then snooty chemist bloke accepted it.............at first then told me (at this point I was close to tears) that usually you get the drug four times a day but GP had put 3 times a day on the script. I pointed out that the GP didn't prescribe it, my oncologist did (his attitude changed a bit at that news). He asked if I wanted him to check with the GP and did I have the original hospital script. Duh! No! They won't let me walk around with two will they? I told him it had been shredded by the receptionist but since I've had half my guts ripped out, four months of chemo and now had an infection I didn't really want anything else to go wrong so, yes, whatever he thinks best.

I'm on three a day - possibly not enough, as the Lone Ranger said I was to have five days, they've assumed the quantity is over seven - quick maths means I have enough tablets to do either! I've necked two for good measure (on an empty stomach - no worries I hardly ever eat).

I have to go back to the chemo suite tomorrow to have the dressing redone if it's messy again, then I have an appointment on the ward (ooer that's special treatment innit?) for Saturday as Matron is really NOT happy leaving it until Monday, especially with the bleeding and smelly yukky pus.

Grim.

Hopefully they'll whip me into isolation and let me have some rest from family troubles and warring cats (my son's pregnant cat is here and hates Skittles). I have a few wounds on my hands from intervening in the odd cat fight. Not recommended in my chemo book of truth.

Cancer's shit.

20:42 - 8 Comments - 5 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Billy Bollockchops

Oh noo, that's awful. All of it. Sorry I've not had the chance to come over this week. xxx

Posted by Billy Bollockchops on Friday, September 14, 2007 at 14:44
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Umpalumpa

I read this and want to do a Kevin/Perry "Its sooooo unfaair" - because its just NOT fair.

We'll get you through this, and before you know it you'll be getting some serious (well deserved) pampering. MAJOR pampering.

And I think this calls for an (accidental) trip for a new bag/top/skirt/kitchen flooring after the trip to vampire towers tomo pm.?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Posted by Umpalumpa on Friday, September 14, 2007 at 14:45
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Peter

You're right, cancer is shit. So, find somebody else to throw some shit at, me if you like, then sit down and have a large drink or ice cream or whatever. Sod the world and worry about Lisa as she's the most important person here.
Loving you from a distance,
Peter

Posted by Peter on Friday, September 14, 2007 at 14:45
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Lisa Left Eye Loopylalalalala

Peter, if you were old enough I'd say you were the dad I never had.........which is a bit rude since mine is still alive but always absent (not really his fault as my mother dragged me counties away as a baby and I didn't know stepdad 1 wasn't my real one).

Posted by Lisa Left Eye Loopylalalalala on Sunday, September 16, 2007 at 19:49
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Mandy

Just wondering how the wound is now? hopefully the antibiotics have kicked in and things are improving.

Which Centreparcs are you going to btw? we enjoy weekends at Sherwood and Whinfell with the kids, from time to time.

Hope you're feeling a bit better

x

Posted by Mandy on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 13:05
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Lisa Left Eye Loopylalalalala

It's much less inflamed and the swelling has gone down quite a lot now - must be doing alright on the tablets.

Off to Sherwood Forest!

Posted by Lisa Left Eye Loopylalalalala on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 13:08
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Fiona

Hiya Lisa, I'm rubbish at saying the righ thing - foot in mouth all the time, espesh after the large glass of red I've had this afternoon. Rotten time you're having, been thinking about you, wondering how you're doing - I'm also rubbish at loking around the system for blogs, Its either laziness or fatigue still. Hope you can get some rest and the antibios kick in pdq.
Don't read the thread until p101's gone - it pulled me down, but fought back with all the positives I could muster - prob done the wrong thing again. Cancer is shit, but you're def at the top of the survivors in my book. You're living life and barking mad, and you're great.

Posted by Fiona on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 13:05
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Lisa Left Eye Loopylalalalala

I had a white wine spritzer last night.........only half a glass of wine and I'm gone! I subscribe to blogs it's easier - otherwise I'd miss them too. Hope you don't have too much of a hangover Fi!

Posted by Lisa Left Eye Loopylalalalala on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 13:09

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