Hi! I hope all of you amazing women are doing well and feeling the love of family this holiday season! Well, my mom only has two more chemo treatments left and then on to radiation 4-6 weeks later. It has been really hard on her physically. I call to check on her every day, but I cannot see her as most of you know, we are about 1,300 miles apart. She has been a trooper even with the sickness that comes with chemo and is holding up. Now, she is developing a very sore throat and believes that she is coming down with something. I know that chemo compromises the immune system and I am a bit worried about her respiratory system and risk of infection setting in while she is weak. Is there anything we should be looking for or cautious of during and illness while in chemo treatments? I know that I am probably being hypersensitive about it, but I do worry since I am not there with her to look after her.
hi, SM. You are NOT being OTT about your mum’s treatment. Chemo is brutal and can knock you flat. You’re just being a concerned daughter and I’m sure your mum appreciates your concern. Just make sure she feels able to share truth with you.
I know you’re in the States, but I’m sure things aren’t that different. What I was told was that if your temperature rose above 37.5 for more than an hour (2 readings) or if your temperature is above 38.5 for a single reading, you should straight away report to A&E or whatever it’s called over there. High temperature can be an indicator of infections, which if you have a compromised immune system can be very serious indeed and need IMMEDIATE treatment, not just leaving it till the next morning.
So the best thing you can do is to advise your mum to keep a close eye on her temperature, and to kick up an unholy stink in her local ER (see, remembered it eventually!) if they don’t treat a high temp from a chemo patient with the utmost importance. Get her to repeat “neutropenia” and “neutropenic sepsis” until she says those two phrases in her sleep.
Hugs to you both.
CM
x
ps Forgot to say. I got a cold during chemo and felt really miserable. Called the chemo unit to say I had a cold and what could I take, the lovely chemo doctor told me I was fine to take Lemsip (which was all I wanted, really) but that I’d done the right thing by phoning them to talk. So call the chemo ward for advice.
Thank you. Her cold was very short lived and she had her chemo on schedule yesterday. Only one more left next week and then a 4-6 week break before radiation. She spoke with the nurse the morning after she started to feel sick with the cold. They did their regular blood work and gave her the things to look out for. I am relieved the cold left as quickly as it came.