Monday, October 20, 2014

Rounding the corner.....


It's been nearly 2 weeks from the last chemo treatment, and we're entering into what is normally his "good week" of the month.

I had been silently patting our backs that we had made it through his chemo without any big complications or trips to the ER.... until last Saturday. 
 
Tex had got bit or stung by something out in the yard, and it ended up getting infected.  Having happened when his immune system was at it's lowest point, he just couldn't fight off the venom or bacteria.  So his feel good week isn't so much a feel good week this time around.   After a  (surprisingly quick) trip to the ER and he came out with two antibiotics, a pretty drawing on his leg marking the infection boundary, and home care instructions.  He had started complaining about the bite the night before, and it was looking a bit infected, after the usual home care routines didn't help, and he started running a fever of 100.3ยบ,  it was time to take it to the next step.

The ER physician considered admitting him, but decided to go the oral antibiotic route first, and see how he responds. It's looking a little bit better, his fever is mostly gone- just an occasional spike, but the infection is deep, and hurts.  We still need to keep an eye on him and see that it continues to respond to the antibiotics.  There is a chance if it doesn't clear up by the 28th, his last treatment will have to be postponed.  But we won't know until we get to the oncologist and see what his blood counts are and have the doctor look at it.

In the meantime, he's supposed to stay down with the leg elevated, and take it easy.  With how crappy he's feeling, that's not too hard to convince him to do.







 
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