Good Morning All:
Yesterday morning I was 'set off' by the routine 7:30 visit from the Intern preceding rounds. She greeted me by saying, "Well we're going to try and find out what is causing these fevers today." Immediately two questions flashed in my mind. Sarcastically, and actually never stated was: . . . and so what have you been doing over the past week?
The question I did ask was, "Oh? What are we going to do different today?" Her response astounded me. She replied "Nothing. We'll just monitor you." After a brief discussion where I confirmed that I understood the medical concerns with letting me out of the hospital with a pattern of daily fevers, I added ". . . but there is a definition of insanity." She stumbled through the reference but she actually said it back to me (insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results). At this point she looked like she really would rather be somewhere else. Since my point clearly had been made I let her go.
She is part of the team that visits about an hour later on rounds. Before the rounding team enters my room they talk about my case outside my room--this is where the seed I planted takes root. When they came in we talked about my fevers, etc. and the Attending Physician, lo and behold, did have a change to make to my medications. He swapped out one medication that can cause fevers with another that does not.
While it is premature to proclaim anything. I've now been fever-free for 24 hours. At times it feels like one has to be a trial lawyer to encourage the doctors to move from a comfort zone. But perhaps I'm cynical, perhaps the Attending Physician had this in mind all along and did not share it with the intern.
Silver Lining Alert:
This last round of chemo (the one I had a little over a month ago) was billed as one that would be difficult on the digestive tract. Without the sordid details, it has performed as sold. I started the regimen on a liquid diet. And digestive 'issues' have made my willingness or the effectiveness of eating somewhat spotty. As a result I have dropped about 30 pounds and have hovered around the weight-loss mark I had set for myself over 15 years ago! For as bad as I can feel with the fevers, I feel great! Of course, I haven't lost all the stuff you'd want to lose. I'm probably a little on the dehydrated side and I'm certain that as I lounge around in the hospital I'm losing muscle mass as well. But I don't think that accounts for all 30 pounds. A harsh way to go about losing weight, but effective.
As always, thanks for reading.
--Russ.
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Do you know how hard it is to gain back 30 pounds? It took me three years. And that was trying hard to gain it back. Restrain yourself mildly and you won't see that around your waist until 2018.
ReplyDelete-Stiv
Well, you certainly have to be your own advocate. I often get the sense that hospitals operate like big government where they've gotten so unwieldy that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing, to everyone's detriment.
ReplyDeleteOr the intern told the doc about how you implied they're insane and they made a last-minute decision to switch the meds so they wouldn't prove you right.
It is my sincere hope that you continue to be fever-free.
And stay hydrated!
- Liz