Wednesday 15 July 2009

A bit under the weather, but otherwise on form.........Cycle 1, Day 9

One of the downsides of chemotherapy is that it compromises the body's immune system, making infections more risky than would otherwise be the case.

Although I felt better when I woke up this morning, it wasn't long before we realized that I had given my sore throat to Steve. His temperature started rising from 36C this morning and crept up during the day to peak at 37.3C this afternoon. That may not seem like a high fever, but it was too close for comfort to the threshold of 37.5C which triggers a trip to hospital for intravenous antibiotics and a dose of antiviral medicine.

Because Steve was feeling under the weather, I abandoned plans to attend a meeting in London and stayed home to play the role of temperature monitor. The good news is that his temperature had gone down to below 37C this evening, so no crisis. However, he feels very washed out and has gone to bed early.

The morning post brought what I hope will be the last piece of paper in the jigsaw of our travel insurance claim for the cancelled holiday to Turkey - a letter from the airline confirming that we had not taken the flights and that no refund had been given. Staying at home this afternoon meant I had the opportunity to finish the claim. Let's hope Europe Assist sort it out promptly....

The other document to arrive this morning was the Report of Diagnosis on official form DS 1500. This is a key document to claiming other allowances which the MacMillan Cancer Benefit Advisors say Steve is entitled to as a mesothelioma sufferer. Filling in the form for Disabled Living Allowance kept me occupied for the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't something that loomed large when we first looked through the benefits guidance, but today's brush with infection brought home to me just how vulnerable Steve is as a result of the chemo - let alone the cancer - so it was worth spending the time filling in the form (anything to avoid the pile of ironing......)

Tomorrow it will be a calender month since Steve was diagnosed. Time for a review, perhaps?

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