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| Deb having her Vincristine chemotherapy |
Visit to start Deb's chemotherapy. We got to the hospital at 1.15 for a 1.30 appointment. OK we then waited an hour or so but that's fine; there were a lot of people having chemotherapy. Deb was then called in to the unit and is prepared by the nurse - lots of questions, hands warmed up and cannula inserted. We spoke about what happened yesterday and that Deb is expecting to leave the hospital with some antibiotics. This worried the nurse who wandered off to see Mark the registrar who was consulted yesterday. They now decide to take more bloods from Deb (which were the same as yesterday) and decide that Deb needs a chest x ray. So we have to go down to the ground floor imaging department and wait 45 minutes for an x ray (the results are fine). By the time we get back to the chemo unit it is 4.30 and chemo can start.
2 things annoyed me about this visit:
1) I know they have to be cautious but the registrar made a decision based on the information he had yesterday. Nothing has changed but he now decides he needs a chest x ray. Why couldn't he just make a decision and stick by it. He did look about 21 and had a distinct lack of facial hair.
2) I expected the nurses to be more focused on what they were doing The bag containing Deb's chemotherapy had a notice on it saying 'Fatal if not taken intravenously'. Despite this the nurse wandered off, had chats to friends, went off to do other jobs. I know they do this all day and every day but these are dangerous drugs. They sent us home with two more lots of chemotherapy. The nurse was decidedly woolly as to when to take everything - anti-sickness, chemotherapy, antibiotics, laxatives, more anti sickness. Come on NHS these drugs are cytotoxic.
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