5 Weeks...Still No Chemo...

Once again denied chemo this week because of a fever I've been running since Monday night.

Monday I did get my tube removed...that was the highlight of the week. By evening, I had the chills and the sweats and the aches...you name it.

Tuesday, I called the surgeon's office to let them know...left a message at 10:30am...had to call back at 1pm. The nurse had paged the nurse practioner...she was in a transplant and hadn't gotten back to her yet.

An hour later...

"Well, the Chest X-Ray after we removed the tube looked good...your incision doesn't look infected (although it's gaping and the stitches have been in for 21 days now)...have you talked to Oncology?"

So I call Oncology...and they tell me definitely to go back to the surgeon's office.

They called the surgeon's to have a heart to heart...basically, the surgeon's office didn't have anyone there competent enough to see me that day..."she probably caught a bug"...so everyone agreed that I should go the Emergency Room...EXCEPT ME!

I got the run around all day...it was exhausting or was that the shortness of breath accompanied by fatigue and a 102 temperature? I wasn't going anywhere...I'm so sick of doctors and appointments and co-pays!

Wednesday wasn't any better...had to call my mommy to come take care of me...I love my mom so much...she's always there for me.

I decide to call my family doctor to see if he could see me...I JUST NEED AN ANTIBOTIC PEOPLE! Of course, I had to leave a message...then had to call again a couple hours later (since they never called back) to see if he could fit me in. "Oh, I just got a message back from his nurse that you'll just need to come in the morning during our 8-9am walk in hour."

I called old reliable Libby directly...she's the only one I feel like who gives a shit about me in this jungle of medical mayhem. She was very concerned about the fever and shortness of breath...especially after a lung surgery..."Jo, this a post operative situation and they need to address it!" I told her that I've gotten infections from catheters in the past...and peeing stings a bit still...maybe I have an infection from that. She hung up and called their main nurse Nikki...who in turn called me to say, "We are still recommending that you go to the Emergency Room."

Libby called afterwards to say she agreed...Dr. D. even got on phone and said the ER would be the best place to find out what's going on at this point and that I need to go. I value both their opinions so I begrudingly had Mom take me to the ER.

Many tests and x-rays later...I do have a urinary tract infection and possibly a little pnemonia "but it's hard to tell for sure with fluid in the lung". Great fluid in the lung...just what I wanted to hear! I've been through 20 days of living hell to hear that there is still fluid in my lung...did this procedure even work? Does my surgeon even know? Doubtful...

$100 co-pay later, the ER sends me home with an ANTIBOTIC...no shit Sherlock! If I pull a Bernie Mac...somebody please sue the freakin' surgeon for me!

Frustration Overcometh!