So after a short wait she was shown to her room, And as we had expected it was a four bed unit. However there is only one other female patient in with her. ( Who also has the same myeloma.) ....The room is also quadruple glazed .... (if thats the right description of two sets of double glazed windows?)..... and not only is the air supply temperature controlled it is also purified as well. All the beds have their own TV and Radio, and there is a PC with internet access as well. ( Annoyingly slow apparently!)
So the first thing that happened was that we were both offered tea and coffee!.... which was a bit of a surprise...., and then Jules was given her menu for lunch and dinner! Well .... the menu choice was pretty impressive... three courses with four or five different choices at each course .... and if the patients don't fancy that..... then there is another menu that is run on the ward all day that has another selection ..... ( I'm sure I've stayed in worse hotels!)....
The medical stuff started after lunch with the normal blood pressure, weight taking and personal detail stuff. Later on they put a canula in her arm ... ( this is good news as some of you may know she picked up an MRSA infection in Nimes from their insertion of a Portacat or Hickman Line) ...
and was a bit worried about it being done again.
At the time of my leaving they were just about to start the chemo .... ( this is called Melphalan ...(and would be the same drug used in France .... in fact pretty much everywhere across Europe as far as we could tell ....) this is the first step in the stem cell transplant process .... ( For a good explanation of the transplant process I would recommend the MyelomaUK website.)
So Jules has been told that her immune system will be at its weakest from day 5 to day10, and that it is likely that she will pick up some infection during that period. In that case they will move her into an isolation room to protect her, and where they will in all probability give her high dose antibiotics. From day 10 her bodies own natural resistance should rebuild (from the transplanted stem cells) .... and that they would look to discharge her at any time after they can see from her cell counts that everything is working okay.... They have suggested that this might be anything from two to four weeks from today.
So she.... and Im sure everone, hopes that... when you consider how she has responded to her treatment in both France and England .... both in terms of the actual results.... as well as the lack of side effects she had been told to expect under those treatments... that this continues......and so she will be "let out" sooner.... rather than later!
.JPG)
I know that she is knocked out with the positive messages, and words of support and kindness that she has received from everyone..... it really does make a difference! .... Thankyou all .... X
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