Well it's been a bit of an interesting week, to say the least! After thinking that all was under control last Thursday with the temperature it all went a bit wobbly. I'll try and roughly type up what's been happening although it might not make too much sense as I'm really knackered!

Friday 6th April
Went into Stirling Hospital this morning for weekly Hickman line clean. No major worries. temperature normal but one of the lines isn't giving blood off... but it does take the cleaning flush so that rules out a clot. The nurse takes some blood off to grow some cultures due to the temps I've had (just to check) and I'm sent on my merry way at 1030.
Couple of hours later and feeling ropey. Temp up again so I neck some pills. No good this time and the temp keeps rising. I call the hospital and am told to come straight in. Bloods have been neutropenic since Monday and enough is enough... it's time for IV antibiotics.
I'm in a side room by 1730 and hooked up to IVs within 2 hours. All purpose Domestos antibiotics until the cultures are grown. I also get a G-CSF growth factor shot to help get my white blood counts up.
By 2200 they know that I have an infection in my Hickman line and they know the flavour of it. It is very sensitive to antibiotics so I'm now on a 5 day course of it... 6 - 8 bags a day and no sign of getting home for a while. I hope my chemo will stay on schedule. It's due on Wednesday.

Saturday 7th April
Pretty rough night that. Temp up and down all night and for some reason I'm on a weird moving mattress that shifts your position in the middle of the night. It''s bloody annoying.
All in all it's a pretty quiet day though. Just spent battling the temperature and infection and watching crappy TV.
I was a bit pissed that I had to ask for my 2nd G-CSF jab though... not once but twice.

Sunday 8th April
Another lousy, sleepless night and I'm pretty down most of the day. Temperature seems to be coming down slowly so the antibiotics are obviously starting to kick in... thankfully. I'm just shattered and everything seems to be too much trouble. I've never had a temp take so much out of me before.
I finally get some good news late in the afternoon when I'm told that I'm no longer neutropenic. I have some form of immune system and that'll help the infection fight... and hopefully keep me on course for chemo.
Wishing for chemo. Am I mad?

Monday 9th April
No sleep again but this time due to the damn mattress. I get it changed to a nice normal one and all seems well with the world. Temperature is completely stable now so I guess the infection is clearing up. 10 more bags of antibiotics and that should be me.
Veronica comes to visit (as she does everyday) but I dose through the whole time. Must have been fun for her.

Tuesday 10th April
Good news this morning. Everyone is happy with my progress, the blood counts keep rising and I'm good to go for chemo tomorrow. Still not a great deal of sleep happening what with fire alarms during the night etc but all in all I'm feeling pretty good that things are on track. I do know that the battering I have had this week is going to make this round of chemo a bit tougher but I'm ready for it.

Wednesday 11th April
This is a post my wife added to the Hodgkins Forums. Say it all really!

Hi all,

So, long-suffering husband starts his 2nd round of DHAP yesterday. He should have anti-sickness steroids in the morning along with his Dexamethasone (The D of DHAP). It gets to 2pm and he asks AGAIN for his steroids as they stop him sleeping (bang goes another nights' sleep). Eventually they arrive at 2.30pm, along with the 1st of his 12 hour chemo infusions, which means he's missed a dose of anti-sickness stuff. Bear with me ..... this is just the start.
Poor guy - he has spent the last 5 days in a side-room as he was neutropenic and was quite enjoying the fact that he had a TV to himself, when he was turfed out to make way for another patient. He's pretty philosophical so took it quite well but it's not a great ward he's on.
His philosophical nature took a beating last night and I received a text message at 3:15am to say that he couldn't get his 2nd 12hour chemo infusion because 'there was no-one on the night shift qualified to administer chemo!' Tell me, please that this kind of nonsense is a one-off??
He finally got to sleep at 5am (the steroids having worn off by then) only to be woken at 7am when a qualified nurse was able to restart his chemo.....! Oh, someone's going to have some explaining to do....
Sorry for the rant...just want my husband home.

Thursday 12th April
Well after yesterday I hit rock bottom. I haven't been this low. Everything is on top of me and I can't cope. Veronica calls my oncology nurse and lets rip and she is on the phone to the ward within seconds of Veronica hanging up to see what the hell has been going on down here. I'm crapping myself that the delay in giving me the 2nd bag of chemo has ruined everything and my confidence in the clinical staff has gone.
I demand a second opinion.
All my old thoughts about radiotherapy come back and I feel that I shouldn't be here going through this if only they'd BLOODY GIVEN ME RADIOTHERAPY.
An oncologist turns up later that morning and we have a good chat. She explains the number of people who have looked at my films and scans and that the majority of people feel this is my best course of action. Some people thought radio but a majority thought SCT. She says the growth in my chest is 0.1cm only but caused them enough suspicion to treat. I can't get my head round this. To me this is tiny and no other nodes have lit up.
I'm so confused.

My oncology nurse arrives later in the day. She is truly a special person and can always get me out of my dark holes. She must have spent a good hour with Veronica and I and some frank discussions were had. She also assures us there is no way a treatment cockup like last night will ever happen again.
Im feeling brighter. I think Veronica is too. It cant be easier for her seeing me like this.

Friday 13th April
I'm going home.
Chemo was uneventful... a bit sicky this morning but nothing I can't handle. I just want to get home to my own bed.
I'm told at 11 I'll be going home and my main oncologist doesn't get to see me until 1500... then we wait until 1730 for my medication to arrive.
Ho Hum. More frustration but finally I'm away after exactly a week.

My girls get the biggest hugs of there little lives as soon as I walk through my front door.

I then crawled upto bed and slept the whole night.
Bliss

Saturday 14th April
Slept and rested all day!!!!!