Journal
this info is sometimes incomplete; it's written from memory as well as pt's recall of foods eaten & meds taken
this info is to be viewed by our doctor only- no staff members or other oncologists
Thur 3-13-08
+/- Midnight: He asked me to call an ambulance, said his head felt faint/weak, so I called another ambulance and went on to the hospital this time.
I called the answering service who assured me the doctor would not be awakened until morning, which turned out not to be the case as the ER Doc mentioned she'd called the doctor. I said "you woke him up?" and she said "he wants to know what's going on with his patients". He was stable, getting fluids and his BP wasn't dropping too much so I didn't see the reasoning behind that. If it was a trauma situation, then by all means call but I guess I do not understand how this ER process works.
So the ER doc claimed his white count was too high (even after we mentioned to nurses about the Neulasta maybe causing that) and started in with her fears of spinal meningitis. I said "this fast!?" and she said "it can happen in 24 hours".
His symptoms didn't seem to match up but I didn't want to influence him in any way, especially not at that hour of the morning.
In any case, common sense prevailed and he made the right (as we now know) decision not to have a spinal tap.
+/- 10pm swaggered/fainted while standing up (urinating) in bathroom, I caught him and had to let him down on the floor (too heavy); his eyes started rolling like he was going out, I called 911 and he came to and said "I don't need an ambulance" (I told him to talk to the 911 operator), so he hung up and he told me to get him to the bed, which he was too weak and fainting before I could shove him onto the bed all the way and 911 was calling back.
Frantic, I called Linda (although he is never happy when I talk to her on the phone for any length of time....long story) and she explained to me why his BP probably got low (lower than it already was) from the phenergan he had taken earlier, plus from standing up while urinating.
Linda has a heart of gold and I trust her a lot, considering the short length of time I've known her.
From just a few of our conversations, it's obvious that she is gifted with a very good general understanding of biological/anatomical processes.
These things evidently happen a lot with patients on dialysis, so her experience and her support has been invaluable. No doubt she was also explaining all of it to distract me from my obvious panic and even reminded me that I had water boiling (for chicken broth) on the stove when the paramedics came in.
What was really funny is that when I went down the steps to show the police/ambulance where we live, I didn't see the guy downstairs was grilling right outside his door (late at night!) and the smoke was so thick, it looked like it was pouring out of the downstairs apartment and I was still on the phone and said "Linda, I think the damn building is on fire!" and she said "oh shit! Oh shit!" (we thought all hell was breaking loose and I was thinking how I needed to go back upstairs and get him out) and then I saw the guy cooking and I said "oh, never mind, it's just the idiot downstairs who didn't pay attention to the 'Use your grill at least 10 feet from the apartment building' rule".
*3* Wed 3-12-08
Lost the info or forgot to write it down for this day. Yeah, it happens. So sue me. ☺
*2* Tues 3-11-08
Nite: 8pm corn, tomato bisque soup
5-8pm: on/off nausea but no vomiting
Noon: schlotzky's sandwich, coke
drank plenty of water (spread out)
Morn: cereal, crackers, snacks, soda, water
Took all meds (allopurinal, prilosec, cephalexin, metoclopram)
happier than before, nausea/vomiting is apparently much better than usual
(BP 133/82)
*1* Mon 3-10-08
Nite: 8:30 ate chicken nuggets and corn; took Ativan and Phenergan (didn't tell me he took both until next day when I asked-no interaction with the Phenergan, fortunately)
7-8pm: took phenergan
5:30pm: vomited 3-4 times in car, on way home and at home; rested
Noon: subway sandwich, soda
Morn: apple, crackers, apple juice
Prilosec, Cephalex, Allopurinal, Metaclopram
Sun 3-9-08
Nite: 5pm Bengali food (squash-type plants, tuna cakes), Italian
4:30pm: Went for walk for the first time in forever; maybe 1/8 or 1/4 mile (as in the old days when we used to exercise, I could barely keep up with him) ☺
Noon: forgot
Morn: egg, bengal squash, toast
Seems a little happier than other days
Sat 3-8-08
Nite: tuna cakes
Noon: (bengali food) shrimp/onions
Morn: rice pudding
Fri 3-7-08
Nite: bengali food (squashes, etc)
Noon: beef sandwich/fries
Morn: cereal
Labs done: white count back up
very depressed
Thurs 3-6-08
Nite: Italian with tomato/spinach/olives/mushroom
Lunch: 4pm 8 chicken nuggets, small ginger ale
Morn: forgot
sleeping on/off all day
Wed 3-5-08
Nite: 7:30pm Bengali (fried eggplant, potatoes, butternut squash stew)
Lunch: 2pm 8 chicken nuggets
Morn: 9am eggs & bengali food
Still feeling very weak
Tues 3-4-08
Nite: 8pm daal, cucumbers, 2 eggs
Lunch: Pakistani food (ate 1/3-1/2 of plate)
Morn: cereal
Mon 3-3-08
Nite: 8pm jello; cereal; apple
Noon: 2-3pm small plate of italian
Morn: don't recall
Feeling dizzy
Sun 3-2-08
Nite: 8pm ate at Jalapeno Tree (not much); complained his arms went numb, came home and vomited, went to sleep
Noon: tried to get him to eat, wouldn't eat
Morn: omelet & hashbrowns
Took allopurinol & antibiotic
Sat 3-1-08
Nite: forgot
Noon: mashed potatoes, 2 boiled eggs; rice/beans
Morn:1 egg/onion omelet; 1 piece of toast; ice cream bar
Gums/mouth hurting badly- nagged to take cocktail but to no avail
Fri 2-29-08
Nite: jello
mouth/stomach sore but refusing cocktail;
Noon: 10:30-11 appointment BP:100/70; Red count okay, white count low; started on antibiotic
Morn: cereal
Thur 2-28-08
Woke me up at 2am, turning on lights/grouchy, looking for phenergan
Nite: 1/2 can of soup; little bit of chicken, corn, carrots and broccoli
Noon: doesn't want anything- no shake, nothing
Very painful brushing teeth
Wed 2-27-08
Nite: nothing or don't recall
Noon: cereal; sleeping a lot
Morn: at a little bit of cantaloupe/honeydew melon; little bit of water
Tues 2-26-08
Nite: supper: broccoli/chicken (Chinese)
6 or 7pm: took 1 phenergan;
Noon: 1 or 2 small bottles water & pepsi; some ice
Morn: holding down cereal
Only occasionally nauseous, mostly weak
Hospital discharge 10am
Mon 2-25-08
Nite: 7:30 Beef/Rice (1/3rd of plate)
3pm: drank a little Basil Seed drink (asian drink-mild on stomach, soothes intestinal lining-sort of the asian version of a Milk of Magnesia type remedy); otherwise only feeling weak
2pm: ate a little bit of food & convinced him to drink 1 Lychee drink (asian drink-very mild on stomach, low acid); taking phenergan tablets
11am: bowel movement- still constipated
Sun 2-24-08
10:45 first bowel movement in 4 days (painful)
8pm: vomited popsickle 3 times; finally resting ok; pt wondering if nausea/vomit was from pain meds)
7pm-7:30 ate popsickle
ate cookie
Nauseous, pain, sleeping a lot
Sat 2-23-08
Nite: I left the house for a few minutes to grab some food (was hungry as hell); he got into the shower while I was gone and was at the bottom of the shower holding the fallen shower curtain, hollering for me when I came back in.
I asked what happened and he said he got in there and was brushing his teeth, vomited and passed out. (bruised left arm and left side of head)
Took him to ER, he almost passed out, I set him in a chair and the guard got a wheelchair and he passed out and mildly seized while we were rolling him into the ER area
Admitted to hospital 3am-ish; given 3 bags of fluid before finally urinating
3pm: very irritated; said "brain was burning", using damp washcloth to rub his head
noon: dizzy; refused a shake, chicken soup and broth but drank ginger ale; says he wants to be hospitalized during next treatment
Sat 2-23-08
still not feeling great; has "iron taste" in his mouth;
agreed to a banana/strawberry milkshake
Fri 2-22-08
Nite:called on-call doc about "brain-burning" and said to call back next day if it wasn't better
made 2 cups of broth that he sipped but vomited a lot, didn't hold it down
Noon: Pt called his doc's cellphone (I had no idea, I was doing dishes); went for office visit, everything looked fine on labs, suggested that he probably needed more salt
Morn: Symptoms continued...Called Melody, didn't return call
Thurs 2-21-08
Nauseous, weak, vomiting, complexion is getting darker; odd new symptom "brain burning"
morn: Neulasta shot & Vancomycin
*3* Wed 2-20-08
Nite: Dry-heaved a few times, not as bad as Tuesday
Vomited Mesna once, called doc and said it's not a major concern
Morn:Weak & tired going in, nurse put to sleep with pain med (Toredal?); drank 2-3 small bottles of water; Vancomycin
*2* Tues 2-19-08
Nite: Up all night, retching for hours-missed sleep & weak
Morn: Not feeling as good this time; drank 1 cup of water and 1 juice/soda during treatment
*1* Mon 2-18-08
Nite: Felt great
Morn: very 1st treatment; drank +/- half-gallon of water during treatment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2-14-08 2-13-08 2-12-08~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2-14-08: very pale, temperature got to 104.3
2-13-08 & 2-12-08: worked all day the 12th and 13th, looking ill and very exhausted; discontinued all supplements
2-11-08
Port installed- pain in port area, felt that pulse/BP went up
