Husband rushed into hospital after chemo

[Whoknew76]

DH is being treated for throat and neck cancer. He is on second week of radiotherapy of 7. Last week he had first dose of chemo (Cistaplatin). He has been completely flattened by chemo but I thought that was normal. Tonight he has a mild fever of 38, but feels so poorly. Chemo team who are 2 hours away told me to get him to A and E asap. They hooked onto IV antibiotics and running loads of tests. The last one was for venous gas. What is this test for please? Sorry I’m in such a state as he looks so poorly,

Venous blood gas is a rapid blood test that gives the doctors information about the pH of the blood and the way the body particularly the lungs and the kidneys are physiologically helping to regulate it. Some give more information like lactate which is used to assess sepsis severity.

If he has been on chemo he is immunocompromised and is very vulnerable to infection they will be treating him for possible infection if he has a temperature. They will use very strong antibiotics.

They will also do more blood tests to look at his blood cells and infection markers and send some off to the lab to see if any bacteria or other microorganisms grow from the samples.

bumping this for you.

No advice to give, but I hope your DH feels much better soon.

🙏🙏🙏

Wishing you both well x

I’m going through chemo at the moment and hospital is definitely the best place for your husband right now. I spent 12 nights in hospital after my first round of chemo due to low white cell count and an infection.

Sorry to hear it. In anyone on a sort of chemotherapy that can drop one of the infection fighting white blood cells (neutrophils), even the possibility of infection is taken very seriously. With a fever, what is usually done is get straight to hospital, straight on IV antibiotics even before any blood tests are back. Then the clinical assessment and bloods help work out whether there is a significant bacterial infection (neutropenic sepsis), or whether it's something more mundane like flu. A blood gas, in this context, helps work out how stressed the body is by what's happening, which can be a pointer to how serious things are, help guide management like fluids, and be used as a guide for whether things are improving. A full blood count will show whether the neutrophils are actually low enough to cause risk of neutropenic sepsis. Even if it is serious, those initial antibiotics are carefully chosen to target the possible serious bugs, so he's already being treated for the possible serious option whilst he's being assessed. Hope that helps explain things a bit. Fingers crossed you hear something reassuring from him.

Thanks so much for all your advice. That all makes sense. It’s so worrying see him so poorly when only a few months ago he would ride his mountain bike all. Bloody cancer x

Hi. You must be so worried. There is always a high rate of patients admitted during this treatment. It’s normal. Is he having curative treatment? If so it’s hard on the body. He may already need support with fluids & nutrition I’m guessing. Admission is very common and they’ll know exactly how to manage & care for him. Sending you a big squeeze. Can take 6-9 months to recover from the fatigue post treatment but people do return to sports after. Hope you’re ok.x

I was in isolation after catching a bug when I was on chemo. Needless to say, after loads of antibiotics I was released back into the wilds after a very long week after Easter. No doctors to let me out before that.

That was 10 years ago and apart from general fatigue, I'm so much better.

Hi op. You must both be terrified.

Good to hear he's been put straight on antibiotics - that is usually protocol for infection after chemo as he's immunocompromised - and as a precaution it will be a big dose.

Please please be your dh's health advocate. Remind them at every step he's had chemo. Ask for his results and what they mean. Ask what treatment plan he's on and why.

Make sure you eat and drink op. I suspect you aren't going to sleep much but take care. Hugs x

For future reference : If you havent already, buy a good thermometer and take his temperature twice a day
and if it is ever 38, even if he feels ok
Go straight to A & E

Hey op. Hope you're both ok x