Saturday 8 August 2009

Home again from horrible Hamar hospital

Reidar was doing so well with his chemotherapy, then he got an infection. Chemotherapy works by destroying all fast-growing cells, bad and good alike, so bone marrow cells get killed, white blood cells don't get reproduced, so the immune system isn't able to cope with simple infections. We had just got back from a lovely trip to Trøndelag, where Reidar and a group of others from Nordbygdarevyen took part in a revue festival. We stayed in a rented cabin, and were looked after like royalty, with friends acting as porters, chauffeurs and chefs, and Reidar was made to rest as often as possible. Some might think that the trip was too much of a strain for him, so the infection was a direct result, but it would have happened if he'd just stayed home.
One evening he got a very high temperature, so I rang the hospital. They told me to bring him in at once, so I did, and he was admitted. He was sent home after a few days, but a new fever sent him back for a further two weeks. He was given penicillin intravenously, and on two occasions was put in quarantine (isolat). After two weeks they took a CT and discovered an abscess on the tumour, which was causing the infection. He was immediately moved to a surgical ward, but after one night there it was decided that he was well enough to come home. His immune system was getting stronger and his temperature was back to normal.
It hasn't been easy having such a sick man to look after, his mouth was very sore so eating was painful, and he had a poor appetite. He got a high temperature one evening, so we got another night-time trip to casualty (legevakt - the emergency room) but he was allowed home this time. He's slowly gaining strength and energy, so we hope he can soon resume chemotherapy.
We are also looking forward to a visit from my brother-in-law David, and his lovely lady-friend Pat. At the end of the month we'll have a visit from Tamsin and Nick. We're counting the days. So cross your fingers for Reidar, that he'll soon be done with chemo and able to get on with the next step - whatever that may be...