Yesterday morning started with a question… I got a text from my Mom asking, “Are you up?” It was a unique question and it made me wonder what was going on. I texted back “yes”. Within 10 seconds, my phone rang and I heard my Mom say, “it’s a sunny day outside but it isn’t sunny inside… Cailyn has a 38.8 degree fever”.
Immediately, I was concerned for her foot! What if there was an infection brewing below the cast??? Honestly, it is amazing how quickly the dark side invades our thoughts! My Mom assured me that her foot felt fine and that there didn’t appear to be any heat, swelling or redness. She simply had a very sore throat and neck. The next question of the morning was, “what do I do?”
I called our hospital team at Grand River Hospital and one of our nurses said that I needed to bring Cailyn in. Anyone on chemotherapy that experiences a fever must be examined to determine first, if they have enough neutrophils (the part of the white blood cell that fights infection), and second, the cause of the infection. Cailyn’s last chemo treatment was on the 22nd of March but I learned yesterday that the same process has to be followed for 6 months after the last chemo. So… it was off to the hospital for us!
As I was waiting for my Dad to pick Lauryn and me up, so I could use their car and parking spot while they are enjoying some time in Missouri, my heart started racing. I’ve had this experience before, so wasn’t horribly concerned, until my upper lip and hands started to tingle. I realized that I was going to have to get Cailyn into the hospital in her wheel-chair while my heart was racing. I knew, from experience, that my heart would eventually slow down, as long as I sat still and breathed deeply for a significant period of time. I knew that until I had that time, my heart would continue racing… it was a little overwhelming…
When we got into the unit at the hospital where Cailyn has received phenomenal care for 11 years, the nurses asked me if I wanted one of them to take me down to Emerg… I thanked them and said that I really needed to be with Cailyn while she was assessed and would be fine once I sat down long enough.
I was feeling much better by the time Cailyn got poked for blood-work! Whew!! As per protocol, a few different cultures were taken to determine what she might be fighting. Strep throat was on the list of considerations. For the first time in over 11 years, there was no port access because there was no port! Interestingly, Cailyn wasn’t sure how she felt about it!
Thankfully, her neutrophil count was actually above the normal range… suggesting she had plenty of white blood cells to fight. Considering how quickly her fever came on after a scratchy throat, the pediatrician prescribed antibiotic and sent us home with instructions to make our way back to the hospital if Cailyn still had a fever today.
Tonight is “Relay for Life”, a night-long function hosted by her school to raise money for cancer research. Cailyn is on a team and has raised money but won’t be staying for the whole night with her team. Her doctor told her a couple hours, if she felt up to it, was okay, but that staying for the whole night is a no-no!! She will definitely attend the Survivor dinner and the first lap done by the survivors. I’ll get the honour of attending the dinner and doing the first lap with her!
I’m very happy she feels well enough to attend the first part of the evening and anticipate a bit of an argument when it comes time to leave! 🙂