Blood Culture Blues

Sunday - July 8, 2012

Carolyn ensures that I get a late afternoon nap!

A sleepy day as I battle this blasted fever withOUT the help of white blood cells and WITH many antibiotics, (more!) platelets, Benadryl, and Tylenol.  Come ON, Neulasta!  It's time to kick in and generate those neutrophils!  Being in a new hospital and apparently lacking the notes from my regular gonzo oncology team, I am hooked up to a heart monitor to keep an eye on my elevated heart rate.  Sentara is not as sanguine as my VCU oncology team who nod wisely, attribute my heart rate to be one of my chemo reactions, check my vitals every hour, but let me live without this 24 hour telemetry monitor.  My wire / tube trail is more impressive than normal!  It is a true drag but ... whatever...  If this team feels the need then I am not putting up a fuss.  I'm just happy to be here under good care.

Everyone masks up in room 402 (except me)!

As usual, I changed into street clothes when I awoke (at 4:30) and each and every health professional (and housekeeper and "room service" personnel and pharmacist) commented on my being dressed, often asking "Are you going home today?"  or (more ominously) "Do you THINK you're going home today?" (No, I don't).  Somehow, to me, being dressed is a clear line in the sand.  Am I dressing in order to be ready for my busy day?  Well, not quite since I don't have much to DO.  I get dressed simply to feel normal.  It's not normal for me to be in pjs for the entire day.  Being dressed (albeit bra-free  .....  ssssshhhhhhhh!) alters my perspective.  I feel less like a patient and thus more capable of putting on the good fight.  Please remind me of this point of view if it turns out that I need a bone marrow transplant and have to isolate myself in the hospital for many, many weeks.  At that point, I believe it will be even more important to get up, dress, and prep for the day.  No matter how monotonous and confining it might be.

Yesterday in the ER, the oncologist said that I would hear back about my blood cultures in 2 days; anything earlier than two days meant that I was growing bacteria quickly, that I had a blood infection.  And... early this afternoon, my blood culture results came back positive.  I have a blood infection.  Aarrgghh.  The good news is that both the port draw and my arm draw were positive and therefore the source of infection is NOT my port (phew!).  On the other hand, I may be here in the hospital for longer than my first neutropenic fever.   In that case, my blood cultures came back negative and I had ear pain that was designated as my source of infection.  Ear versus blood?  I prefer EAR!