Tests, Rehydration & New Meds

On Thursday I had an x-ray series of my abdomen, looking for a blockage, and turned in my stool sample kit. I learned fairly early that there were no red flags in the x-rays, but the cultures would take a bit longer. Thursday night was a turning point: could I make it till morning and try to get an appointment with my primary physician, or should we make the trip to the ER? After a week of feeling ill with no relief I was getting scared. I try to not let every new ache or pain have me think the worst (spread of cancer), but this was wearing me down. I could see and hear the worry in my hubby too. We decided to wait. (In hindsight, I need to lose my fear of the ER and go. They’ll get the tests done and get answers. Good advice I received was that the earlier you go in the day the better. We probably should have gone Wednesday morning.)

Beginning when the doctor’s office opened at 8:00am I called every two minutes until someone answered. I was able to get an 11:00am appointment. The physician assistant I saw was excellent. She had already viewed my x-rays and checked on the three stool tests – negative for c diff, and others were still pending. However, based on the white cell count, she didn’t expect any problems there. My blood pressure was normal but my pulse was elevated. She took my blood pressure again, first seated and then standing, because she suspected dehydration. After listening to my heart, lungs, and stomach, and pinching the skin on the back of my hand, she recommended that I get IV hydration and Zofran (anti-nausea med). She was going to have an ambulance pick me up and take me to the ER, but we asked if it was possible to have it done in the infusion room at the Cancer Institute – a place where we knew we’d feel more comfortable and where we knew the nurses. She coordinated with my oncologist’s PA and they made it happen – very grateful!

Kudos to the nurse who had to start an IV in dehydrated me! One stick and done! The fluid was cold, even with a heated blanket folded over my arm. Two hours later I was happy to sit in our sun-warmed car and head home. I was able to sit upright with less stomach discomfort already. I slept in our bed, actually slept!

This morning I was still tired but knew I had to get up to get some food in my stomach so I could begin a short course of prednisone. I started with Zofran, then drank an Ensure and ate two graham crackers, followed by the prednisone. Still feeling cold I snuggled on the recliner under a blanket and fell asleep. Around lunchtime I ate a small dish of Jello and drank some Gatorade. Mid-afternoon I had some soup. I still have no appetite at all, but I know I need to stabilize my weight and stay hydrated.

So, finally some improvement! I have a way to go to build up my strength (yet again!), develop an appetite, and lose the diarrhea, but today was a good start.