Hospital Visit

One of the protocols with a young cancer patient on chemo is that, when their temperature goes over 100.5, they have to come into the hospital. They are given a mega-dose of some antibiotic that could wade into a petri dish full of bacteria and live while their blood is worked up. That is so any possible bacteria-based illness is cut short.

This morning we took Elle's temp, and it was 101.5 in both ears. Now, she wasn't acting sick. She was painting while I took the reading. But you always follow the protocol. So it was off to Maine Med and a four-hour stay in an ER examination room.

She was given the antibiotics and the blood work was done. Turns out her labs were fantastic. Her white blood cell count is actually higher after a round of chemo, as if her body watched it work and said "Step aside, junior, and watch how the pros get rid of cancer." Her red blood cell count is solid. They took a chest X-ray and her right lung looks even better. And her temperature when we left? 98.6 on the nose.

We don't know why her temp was so high this morning. As far as we can figure it may have been b/c she was sitting by the window with the sun streaming in and maybe that heated up her ear somewhat. But the bottom line is we're all back home, she ate some pizza for dinner and is now watching DVDs in her bed (one guess what it is).

So, it was all good news. But what a hell of a way to get it.