Neutropenic Fever

I woke up not feeling great this morning. A lot of times it’s had to explain. I just call it a “blah feeling”. I knew that today would be one of the days that my blood count numbers were expected to be low, one week after my last chemo treatment. Then in the next few days they would go up again.

I just kind of laid around in bed this morning. The Peadens dropped off Krispy Kreme donuts before Bible Study. That was an awesome surprise! All of our friends are so kind, bringing meals & going above and beyond. I laid in bed ate a donut and watched the church service online.

When I got up and walked across the house, I was pretty winded. Since all this started, we have purchased all kinds of medical devices. I checked my sats with a finger probe. 97% O2 sat. 149 heart rate. Back to bed to rest for a minute. I wouldn’t be able to go on Bennett’s Cub Scout hike today. I was just too tired and my heart was racing (above 100).

Joy insisted on checking my temperature which was 100.8 F. (An actual fever is anything over 100.4 F) I tried to brush it off, an removed the blanket for a few minutes. Recheck 101.2 F. No denying it now… Fever.

I phoned the on-call hematologist at MD Anderson, who recommended going to the ER. I notified Dr Brunner, and asked my mom to drive me to Jackson Hospital in Marianna. Joy packed my suitcase, enough to stay for a few weeks. Maybe she is ready for a break from me since I’ve been home for 7 days. 😂

I encouraged Joy to go ahead and take the kids on the Cub Scout hike. We didnt want Bennett to miss it, and since I’ve been out of comission, he hasnt completed his Webelos rank yet.

Fever 102 F on arrival. They drew labs, blood cultures and did several other studies. So I’ll be spending a few nights here. Currently getting 3 units of blood for hemoglobin 5.7. That explains the fatigue and shortness of breath.

My invasive Covid test was negative. I’ve lost track of how many covid tests I’ve had since December. The main thing is that everyone in the family can breathe easier that the girls questionable Covid encounter hasn’t translated to anything for me.

Hopefully the neutropenic fever is just related to the chemotherapy rebound and I can get out in a few days. I hate to be back in the hospital, but at least it’s closer closer to home.