Up and Down

Easter Sunday 8 April

A bit of an up and down day, with mild fever and shivering being suppressed by paracetamol (Dafalgan). During the second of my two visits today I crumbled an effervescent tablet in a glass of warm water and she drank it with relish. Is it that good, I wanted to know? It tastes fine, she said, particularly the lemon flavor, but you realize that when you start to enjoy Dafalgan, you are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. True enough.

News from the lab is that the bacteria giving her trouble is an indigenous one and the very same that caused her a urinary tract infection last year May. Nothing that cannot be dealt with by antibiotics. They changed medication accordingly, but I have no specifics just yet.

Lara also receives medication to suppress nausea. She is also showing reddishness in her skin (particularly on her back) due to the chemo but the concomitant itch is mild and easily alleviated by Calendula emulsion. Her appetite has suffered. Having enjoyed a copious Easter meal at the house of friends of ours, I couldn't really help her make a dent in her supper pasta. (Later, when watching Dr House on TV, she managed to eat a fair bit of it anyway.)

We are now on Day 12 of the chemotherapy. Major blood stats cannot be expected to be back up before another 12 days have gone by. If by then she is strong enough and free of nasty complications, she will be granted homeleave before the second chemotherapy begins.