Kevin here. JoAnne was again admitted to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. She developed intense chills over a period of an hour and spiked a temp of 104.2. We went to the ER and she was admitted to the Oncology ICU where they have been nuking her with antibiotics and IV fluids. She did have a touch of pneumonia visible on x-ray, but is feeling better this afternoon. They will continue to treat her until they are sure they have it under control. There has been no indication when she will be released.
They are trying to come up with an alternative chemo plan for her next round, which is scheduled for the 9th & 10. Her 4 days in the hospital last week were attributable to nausea from the chemo and chest pain from the Neulasta. Both side effects are common although unpleasant. They have a new drug they would like to try in an attempt to control nausea, but it is new/more expensive and the insurance company wouldn't approve it on the first attempt. The doctor will fight it out with the insurance company over that one. The hope is that they can continue chemo while controlling the symptoms at home.
They seem to have more control over the fever/chills so we will take that as hope that the antibiotics are working their magic. Which each successive visit she seems to get a nicer room with a better view :-) She is up and around a bit today. She has her cell phone and email.
As you may already know, her leukemia/lymphoma compromises certain components of her white cells, which are responsible for fighting off infection. The effects of chemo tend to wipe out what little is left. She does get a shot of Neulasta following each cycle of chemo, which is intended to boost white cell counts. The degree to which that works is uncertain as yet. The bottom line is that her immune system is very suppressed and will be throughout these treatments leaving her vulnerable.
They are trying to come up with an alternative chemo plan for her next round, which is scheduled for the 9th & 10. Her 4 days in the hospital last week were attributable to nausea from the chemo and chest pain from the Neulasta. Both side effects are common although unpleasant. They have a new drug they would like to try in an attempt to control nausea, but it is new/more expensive and the insurance company wouldn't approve it on the first attempt. The doctor will fight it out with the insurance company over that one. The hope is that they can continue chemo while controlling the symptoms at home.
They seem to have more control over the fever/chills so we will take that as hope that the antibiotics are working their magic. Which each successive visit she seems to get a nicer room with a better view :-) She is up and around a bit today. She has her cell phone and email.
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