Issues

We've had some issues today with Dylan that we are still not 100% on the reason why. This is bad timing for us at the moment as we have important plans this weekend, so of course in typical Dylan style that would be the time to cause problems!! Obviously though Dylan's health is the top priority as always.

He didn't seem himself today after nursery.. he looked tired and washed out. It is chemo week though so we didn't think much of it. He didn't sleep great last night and looked shattered. He seemed a touch warm but nothing to worry about. Until the nurse came to do his chemo..

We've been having issues recently with this anyway. Last cycle and the Friday of the cycle previous he has gone absolutely crazy when they've given his medicine and got himself into a right state over it. Well today he did the same so this pushed his temperature to 38.1 which according to new guidelines, means a trip to the QMC for blood cultures.

It took us half an hour to drive there and then an HOUR AND A HALF to find a parking space!! Luckily during all this Dylan was perfectly fine, he seemed to have cooled down and was happily chatting and playing eye spy with me!

We eventually got up to the ward and they took his blood cultures and a full blood count. His temperature was down to 37.1 so we just had to wait for his counts to come back which took over two hours sadly. During this time his temperature stayed away and he ate and drank and played like nothing was wrong.

His blood counts came back and again his neutrophils are back UP to 5.2 which considering this is chemo week is crazy. This could signal an infection especially alongside the temperature, despite the fact it went down, so I'm on tenterhooks tonight watching and waiting.

Obviously we have to wait for blood cultures to come back which won't be until Friday but there is another theory for part of the issue.. Speaking to one of the doctors today with all this information he thinks the way Dylan is reacting to his medicine and the high Neutrophils is actually down to the Hydrocortisone, and it tallies up, because we changed him onto the liquid version exactly when all this started and it's after that dose he gets worked up not the chemo. It can create a 'stress response' pushing his Neutrophils up to a higher level and cause him to react the way he does when they administer his meds, so tomorrow we are going to try going back to the powdered solution which  you dissolve in water instead.

This however doesn't explain the random fever sadly. He has previously given himself temperature spikes to 38 that self resolved once before, when he was getting worked up and stressed, so I am begging it is that. He is sleeping now and feels warm ish but not hot at the moment *touch wood, I've just checked with the thermometer and he has no fever (yet).

The catch 22 here is that I know he is over tired because he didn't sleep great last night so I don't want to keep disturbing him, as he gets extra crabby and stressed when he is tired. BUT I also don't want to leave him and miss a fever spiking. Mike is working tonight so I am literally on my own stressing out. Part of me wishes they had kept him in but then if there isn't anything clinically wrong with him at the moment he would just be wasting a bed.

Praying for no infection and that all of this is just a stress response we can get to the bottom of tomorrow. Praying for a peaceful, safe and settled night sleep.. <3