I have a feeling that for the next 6-12 months the flu will be a part of many of my messages, as it is today. Once again I have the flu, started on Sunday as I most definitely picked up something at the Blue Rodeo concert I was at the night before. Everything seemed to be much the same as a couple of weeks ago, the cough, my voice, congestion, but this time in addition to sounding sick I really started to feel sick. A couple of appointments at the hospital yesterday and an impromptu visit with my Doc in between them was the majority of my activity yesterday and I came home to rest.
When I am undergoing what I’ll call active treatment – having chemo and the weeks, month afterward – I am required to pay special attention to my temp, as any time I have a temp of 38 or more I’m expected to go straight to the ER. Now as I’m about Day 132 Post-Transplant, the rules are slacked off a little, and I’m allowed to experiment with my bodies ability to handle infection. Yesterday my temp peaked around 39.6 and I was feeling “not very well”, but my Doc was pretty sure there was nothing major going on so I stayed home to ride it out, which suited me just fine.
The thing that you need to understand is that usually making the commitment to go the ER means that I’m committing myself to being admitted and having a full cycle of antibiotics, which is often 7 days. The balancing act comes from knowing your body well enough to know when you really have to go to the ER, and when you can ride it out. I can tell you that after 3 plus year’s I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing when I need to go. The other balance comes from handling the bureaucratic policies of the healthcare system, the advice of your Doctor and the signs your body is giving you.
For example last night I called the ER as my temp had been rising consistently throughout the day, just over 38 is one thing but as it climbed to 39 plus I decided I should let my Doc know. My call to the ER brought me to a Nurse, who in her defense seemed to be following “procedure”, and she instructed me to come in, have Cultures done (blood tests), and be seen by a Doc. It is in times like these where my self-proclaimed status of “Professional Patient” comes in handy. I explained to her that I only want my Doc paged and to speak with him as I had done in the past, after a couple of minutes of holding my ground she relented, paged him, we spoke and everything was fine. He advised that if I was comfortable enough to stay home, which I did.
Times like last night I wonder how my experience would differ if I was a very shy, quiet Patient who wasn’t comfortable speaking up and Challenging the system and the advice of my Healthcare Professionals. I also always wonder how much unnecessary testing and procedures are performed on Patient’s who are shy, quiet and uncomfortable speaking up.
For the Patients, and Supporters, in the group I really encourage you to be proactive when dealing with your Healthcare Professionals and the Healthcare system. I don’t mean “raise the roof”, but I will admit that sometimes I have felt it necessary to do that. I feel that all Healthcare Professionals are advisors, the control is and should be with the Patient. Docs and Nurses can advise on testing, procedures and choices, but ultimately the decision lies within the Patient. That’s my view.
With advice from my Doc, and using my good judgment I woke this morning in my bed feeling much better with a temp that is down to 37.5. Still have a cough, headache and am congested but feeling much better than yesterday. I am still a Patient first, so I have cleared my week and will rest to ensure that this flu doesn’t get away from me. Have a good one and I’ll be back soon.
Always…
Live Life. Love Life.
Geoff
