Page 163 - She's One Crazy Lady!

some mornings. I also had to take my temperature twice a day having been advised to keep a very close eye on it – being told that should if it ever reach anything above 37.8 degrees I was to ring them. Not wishing to alarm anyone, I put on a brave face and made light of how I was really feeling – that is, until a week or so later!
Dave’s daughter, Alison, lived next door to me and she was cooking a special evening meal for her Mum, Dusty’s, birthday and I was invited. I didn’t feel too good but thought it would do me good to get out. They knew I wasn’t feeling too well so we left it that if I went, I did, if I didn’t, they would understand and know why. Marilyn had been to see me in the day. We were set to go out shopping but, somehow, I just didn’t feel right so she did mine for me – and, bless her, went back into town again to get me a sandwich toaster. I had to have this certain sandwich toaster – not tomorrow or the next day, I needed it then! Marilyn had sussed this really wasn’t me so and put it down to chemo brain. Poor Marilyn! It was a story we recalled many times. (I still have that sandwich toaster and use it quite a lot!)
Knowing I was going next door for a meal, Marilyn and I said we wouldn’t speak again that night, as we normally would, but would ring or see each other the next day. She left me resting on the settee. I really did not feel right. The next thing I knew was Dave coming in, my door being (thankfully) unlocked, asking if he could borrow a couple of my chairs. Thank goodness he did call in. He could see I wasn’t that good and said he would call in later. In between time I felt worse and remember feelings of flying and looking down on my room, unable to do anything... it was so frightening.
When Dave came back, I felt disorientated, distressed and not with it at all. I can remember saying I needed to ring the hospital, which we did and I was told to get to the Talbot Butler Ward asap and bring some overnight things – my temperature was over 39 degrees and I was burning up. I was taken to the same room I was in when I had the line fitted and I can truthfully say I have never, ever, been so relieved to be in hospital. Within minutes I was undressed, I’d been examined all over and was given a huge dose of antibiotics through, what looked like, a huge metal syringe. I didn’t care – all I wanted to do was sleep. I was SO hot.
The next day my temperature was still sky high and I did feel slightly more with it but I wasn’t allowed to get out of bed. I was having bloods taken quite frequently; I had an intravenous drip for antibiotics. Dave had obviously made a few phone calls and I was allowed visitors in the afternoon. Marilyn came with her brother-in-law – she was so worried. My other Marilyn (sister-in-law) also came with my brother, armed with a multitude of goodies knowing I would have come in with nothing.
It wasn’t until the Tuesday (I was taken in on the Saturday night) that one of the doctors told me I was lucky to be alive saying that, had I fallen asleep on Saturday I could possibly have died due to septicaemia kicking in. He told me I had neutropenia and my white cell count was
“Within minutes I was undressed, I’d been examined all over and
was given a huge dose of antibiotics through, what looked like,
a huge metal syringe. I didn’t care – all I wanted to do was sleep. I was SO hot. ”
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