Pain what pain?

Where to start ? 

First of thank you to all the best wishes, your kind words mean a lot, last time I looked there were 17 comments now we are over 50 xx

Sharon's first Chemo session went well, due to the type of chemo she is at risk of loosing her awesome hair, so we have opted to try the ice cap treatment, this meant they would need to protect the scalp and hair with a generous helping of pre conditioner.

The chemo took longer than we both had anticipated, but they did take wonderful care of her.

Now here's the thing, when you can't get up two flights of stairs to where the shower is you improvise

So out comes the  single air bed, and a quick Amazon order for a hair washing bouncy castle thing and hey presto, the easiest stress-free way to wash someone's hair while they chill out in front of a fire.

This was not a small feat for Shaz to get down onto the floor or back up again, but I think it's fair to say she felt so much better for it x

Post Chemo, now this was where things went down hill, not as a direct result of the chemo,  but more of a result of the blood test they did, 

You see Sharon's haemoglobin levels were really low, so they had arranged for us to come back the next day for a transfusion of 2 units (did not know what a unit of blood was before now, apparently about 450-500ml) anyway, during the transfusion there were concerns over Sharon's blood pressure not coming up which I can understand, it makes sense, when you add something like air to a tyre you would expect at some point the tyre pressure would rise?

Brooksie logic, I can follow this, "consequently this get Shaz here for 09.10am, so we can start it off" actually meant we won't be starting until 10.30, and we will continue anyway. 

During some of our calls back and forth Shaz comments that she thinks her flip flow valve may have been left off on her urinary catheter (has a leg bag for long times between toilet visits or hospital stints) as she feels wet, she checks the valve and all is fine, so she ignores it (big mistake as we will find out later)

Sorry where was I?  Oh, yeah the down hill bit...

So eventually I pick Shaz back, and I can smell Iron, and something else that we kind of expect due to how long she has been out for (we would have changed her pad at least once, maybe twice by now) but this has not been done, at all. In fact, I ended up setting a reminder every 3.5 hours to wake me to change the pad throughout the night as it had been burning her (her bits glow in the dark they had got that sore) Sudocrem needs to come in larger tubs as the 400g only last a few days, and it does not stick to extremely burnt skin I have found.

As a consequence of the fissure, and the (sinus the opening on her posterior) a hell of a lot of the blood had simply been escaping into her tummy, and flushing her out on its way through, continuing to do so today only to a lesser extent.

Her tummy was hard with the pressure, she ended up backed, and 2 days later after vomiting a few times, 2 days after the chemo started (the next day after the blood transfusion) we are back at the same hospital to remove the chemo pump, we mention the issue we had when we left and the now constant need to keep changing pads and that the blood was running out of her but...

So apparently i don't do maths?   1+1=3 then, I always thought it was 2 but nope....

The blood transfusion is not the cause (according to the doctor I spoke to, it's her other blood levels that are causing it)
The ward we were in had no actual abdominal doctors (chemo ward) there was nothing the doctor could do about it, (nor did she offer to examine her) but instead berated us for not calling the help number in the book, or going to A&E  and offered to call ahead to them and instructed us to head over to there which we did.

Now bear in mind this is a day later so when we were seen by the doctor at A&E within 10 minutes  I might add (much more impressive) we had just changed her pad an hour or so before, this meant the doc found no issues, he did give her IV antibiotics and glucose to bring her potassium levels down, and let us go home again.

Shaz has been fine but weak since, she spent a night on the sofa to gain her strength and then managed to get up to bed, which is where she has been since. She is eating OK, and hates the word hydrate lol

But she has started to get some crap on her chest that she is struggling to shift, it never quite comes up enough to cough it up, so she is elevated a little in bed with extra pillows to help her sleep.

It is so sticky though, it is a side effect of the chemo and the medication she is on, so I am monitoring it.

Shaz is still extremely positive as am I we have to be, and your encouraging words really do help.
I think the post is long enough, possibly too long, I just want to keep you as informed as possible without writing it in book/diary form lol



As for the title of the post, pain is fully under control, it just means Shaz is sleeping most of the time, this we are going to address/ballance.


Much love to you all from the both of us xxx
Doug

Can't end without a silly

And finally (shaz would be displeased if I forget this)