Saturday 11th October 2008

Our 10 days at home started uneventfully - came home Wednesday night, Sarah went to school Thursday and Friday, and guides Thursday night. We went to see her friends at swimming on Friday night and took her beloved trophies back ready for the next championships at the end of October.We had friends round for lunch on Sunday, and generally had a good weekend. She went to school Monday and Tuesday and then the trouble began. Firstly Katie came home with a cold at the weekend, then I noticed Sarah coughing and sniffing. By Tuesday night the cough had got quite bad, and she was kept home from school Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday evening, her temperature was hovering near to 38 degrees where hospital admission is inevitable. I decided to take her in to be checked over by a doctor at our local hospital. The doctor said she was fine, it was viral and there was little they could do. I had to monitor her temperature at midnight and 4am, and both were fine. Thursday afternoon, the doctor from West Mid phoned and said that they had decided to put Sarah on antibiotics as a precaution.Dave collected the prescription and we got started straight away. Unfortunately they didn't do much!! Friday morning Shirley the community nurse came and took bloods and I went to work. By 2pm, the nurse had phoned to say Sarahs levels were really low - her Hb level was only 6.8 (red blood cells) so she would need a blood transfusion. I left work straight away and took her in to West Mid again. They had to cross match her blood and that took 2 hours instead of the 45 mins they originally said!! It was decided she needed 3 units of blood and each unit would be given over 2 hours - Sarah soon realised we wouldn't be out of there until around 11pm, and she was adamant she wasn't staying in!! BUT - after the first unit, Sarahs temperature spiked to 37.9. The doctors weren't happy to give another unit until the temperature had gone down, so she had calpol and we waited. 10.30pm and the temperature was more normal so they continued - but this meant staying in over night which didn't impress Sarah one bit!! She was woken every hour to have her temperature taken and her blood pressure done in case there was any reaction to the foreign blood! After a rough night we escaped around 9,30 this morning. She is still coughing and I didn't think they would do chemo at UCH with her in that state but they say they will, so transport is still booked and the bag will be packed in the morning. Fingers crossed her neutrophils will get higher quickly and she can fight off this nasty cough virus - she's knackered, and so am I. Poor Dave has had to drive to Somerset tonight to take Katie down to Millfield for a hockey trial, so I won't see him for several days - this is taking its toll on him too, and we are both feeling the strain a bit at the moment. Can't wait until the end of November.........