Days run into each other in this place. I hadn't realized until last Thursday that I hadn't left the hospital in four days. Also, I now fully understand why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture.
On Thursday, T+8, Miya's platelets were decreasing and her neutrophils were at zero. Neutophils are produced in the bone marrow and circulate in the blood. They make up about 50%-75% of white blood cells and are the first type of immune cells to respond to infection. Also on Thursday, Miya spiked a fever (anything above 38°C is considered a spike). Miya was given standard treatment of fever reducer and antibiotics and she responded well. Her pain relief was increased to oral Morphine due to mucositis developing. Her mouth is sore and red, and bleeds when we do her mouth care routine.
On Friday, T+9, Miya's pain relief was increased to Morphine via her Hickman line. She now receives a small, steady dose called a "background" at all times and can have a "push" of Morphine when she becomes distressed (ie. when we do her mouth care).
Saturday, T+10, is when we noticed Miya's hair beginning to fall out. Although we shaved it prior to being admitted, it had begun to grow back over the nearly three weeks we've been here. Miya had a bad morning, complete with lots of screaming. She had a push of Morphine and after we dressed her and completed her mouth care routine, she settled nicely and had the best day she's had in a while. She played all day and chattered and laughed. She even ate 1/4 of a chicken nugget and 8ml of Ribena blackcurrent juice. She also began having some diarrhea yesterday (which I'll take any day over vomit. I don't do vomit).
Saturday night prooved to be a horrible one. Miya didn't settle until nearly midnight and our nurses were noisy and kept forgetting to turn of the light when they left. Machines were constantly dinging and clanging for some reason or another and I only got about two hours of sleep.
This morning, I went to the nurses' station to get Miya's blood results and was delighted to find that she has Neutrophils!!! They are currently 0.06 (normal neutrophil counts are between 3000-6000 in each mililitre of blood). When Miya's neutrophils are 0.2 for three consecutive days, we will no longer be on "Green Precautions" (the strictest kind of precaution-wearing plastic aprons, crazy hand washing, etc.) and Miya may be allowed out into the ward corridor in the evenings when there are fewer people around. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment