Hospital Stays

At this point I have completed 4 out of 8 cycles.  During cycles 1 and 3, I had to be hospitalized.  One of the chemotherapy medications on day 8 has side effects of fevers and low blood pressure.  During these two cycles, I spiked fevers at home (as high as 103.5) that very night.  Also, my blood pressure dropped to about 70 over 30.  Not a nice feeling!

At Sloan, they take no chances.  They treat all fevers as an infection.  So during these cycles I was admitted to the hospital.  The first stay was 5 days, the second was 6 days.  When this happens, my white blood cell count drops to almost nothing-(.2).  They will not release me until it comes up again.  That takes almost a week.  So while I am there, I get IV fluids and antibiotics the whole time.  But after the first night, I have no more fever and I feel fine.

If you must stay in a hospital, Sloan is a wonderful place to be.  They cannot do enough for you and your family.  My first night there, Steve and Andrea slept in the room with me.  They brought them a chair that turns into a bed.  I felt so bad for them because they looked worse than me that morning.

While I am there, I go to the recreation room.  They have crafts, pool table, a library, and a balcony.  I happened to be there on my birthday during my 2nd stay.  They actually made it a very nice day for me.  In the morning, I made a stained glass cross.  I learned to solder which was really cool.  In the afternoon, I went to a "Look Good, Feel Good" workshop.  Someone from Clinique was there giving a demonstration about applying makeup  especially for cancer patients.  We each received a big box of high-end cosmetics.  My sister Andrea and my mother came with brownies.  (Of course, Steve was there).  My nieghbor, V, visted me also.  That night, the nurses showed up with an ice cream cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to me.  So it turned out to be a very nice birthday for being in the hospital.