That 3 day stay in hospital was a bit of a bizarre experience. Other than feeling pretty tired, John didn’t feel particularly unwell, but the situation was taken seriously by the medical staff. He was kept in glorious isolation for 3 days as his neutrophil levels were very low, making him at high risk of infection. He was monitored every 4 hours for blood pressure, temperature, weight, pulse; blood tests were carried out daily; he had IV antibiotics every day, and liquids in and out were measured. It was encouraging to be told that the neutrophil levels rose to .2 on day 2, and then .4 the following day. The levels should continue to rise until his next course of chemo which is due next Thursday.
Visitors were required to don obligatory plastic aprons and gloves, which did get pretty uncomfortable and tacky after being worn for 5 hours of visiting:
As he was feeling OK, boredom and claustrophobia did set in. This was eased when he reorganised the furniture in his room so that he could walk from one side to the back of the shower/WC and back again – a grand total of 30 paces, which he did for about 20 minutes at a time.
John was really impressed with the care and attention that he was given by the medical staff – he’s making a ‘thank you’ cake now that will be delivered to them tomorrow. A bit of a blip was the heating breaking down which was a problem as the temp outside dropped below freezing. There was also no hot water for a shower on his last day there. He was pleasantly surprised with the food, but may have ordered too much, concerned that portion sizes may be small and he’d go hungry:
He was discharged yesterday and was ready and waiting to be picked up at the entrance when I arrived. A fast get-away was required. We had a good walk when he got home – freedom and fresh air were appreciated. Today he says that he feels perfectly normal again – long may it last.