Line out, all out
Well this has been an interesting day.
I'm now back home at Mom and Dad's for the night and will hopefully return to my flat tomorrow.
I went on the the ward and they removed my line under a local anaesthetic. It wasn't painful but it did feel a bit weird.
It turns out that the particular bug that I have is my line is what is known as a gram-negative bacteria. They don't know the exact type but being gram-negative is enough to know how to treat it.
The teicoplanin injections and flucloxacilin tablets are only good against gram-positive bacteria so that is why my blood cultures were still showing bugs.
Interestingly I wasn't showing any infection markers in my blood from the bacteria and had no symptoms like fever. The bugs were just sitting there minding their own business. However that is unusual for that type and the doctors doesn't didn't want to take the risk of a real infection flaring up, which I completely agree with.
It is because I didn't have any infection markers that I have been allowed to go home. I'm staying at Mom and Dad's tonight just as a precaution in case I develop a fever or anything which can sometimes happen after a line is removed.
So now I have some 500mg ciprofloxacin tablets to take which are effective against gram-negative bacteria. The doctor said to keep up the flucloxacillin tablets and complete that course anyway.
Tomorrow I will go to the clinic for bloods but this time they will have to do it the old fashioned way and stab me.
I will be booked in to theatre to have a new line fitted fairly soon so I can start my next round of chemo in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully this line will last longer than the 26 days my last one did.
I'm now back home at Mom and Dad's for the night and will hopefully return to my flat tomorrow.
I went on the the ward and they removed my line under a local anaesthetic. It wasn't painful but it did feel a bit weird.
It turns out that the particular bug that I have is my line is what is known as a gram-negative bacteria. They don't know the exact type but being gram-negative is enough to know how to treat it.
The teicoplanin injections and flucloxacilin tablets are only good against gram-positive bacteria so that is why my blood cultures were still showing bugs.
Interestingly I wasn't showing any infection markers in my blood from the bacteria and had no symptoms like fever. The bugs were just sitting there minding their own business. However that is unusual for that type and the doctors doesn't didn't want to take the risk of a real infection flaring up, which I completely agree with.
It is because I didn't have any infection markers that I have been allowed to go home. I'm staying at Mom and Dad's tonight just as a precaution in case I develop a fever or anything which can sometimes happen after a line is removed.
So now I have some 500mg ciprofloxacin tablets to take which are effective against gram-negative bacteria. The doctor said to keep up the flucloxacillin tablets and complete that course anyway.
Tomorrow I will go to the clinic for bloods but this time they will have to do it the old fashioned way and stab me.
I will be booked in to theatre to have a new line fitted fairly soon so I can start my next round of chemo in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully this line will last longer than the 26 days my last one did.
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