Emergency

So all day Iva had a fever around 39 Celsius (about 102 Fahrenheit, I think) and nausea, etc. We tried to reach her clinical team at MD Anderson starting around 9 a.m. Finally afer severl more calls with no response, at 5:30 p.m. the nurse calls and says she spoke with the doctor, please bring Iva to the emergency room.

Yesterday, the doctor told us Iva has a seroma. It wasn't too concerning since we were also learning about the spot on her spine and confirming the spot on her lung. Those two things eclipsed this other sack of fluid in the pelvis, because the doctor didn't seem too concerned about it. Afterall, it isn't cancer. But because of the fever, he thought it might have become infected.

So we get there, they do an x-ray, take her blood, and then lie her on a bed in the hallway. There are no rooms available, it seems. All rooms are full of sick cancer patients. Some of them are pacing around. Some of their family members are stopping at the ice/water machine right next to where Iva is laying. Some of the patients are vomiting loudly. And all this time, hospital employees pass by, most of who avoid eye contact, out of the distinct hope that you won't make any demands of them. After an hour or so of this, no one had told us what is going on, so I stopped a nurse and asked her, "Who can I ask about her case?" She finds Iva's nurse, and in a few more minutes the nurse comes over, "Did she just get here?" she asks. "If you consider an hour ago the same as just having arrived, then yes," I replied. So then the doctor comes and asks some good and some stupid questions ("Does it hurt when you pee?") She has a urostomy, for God's sake! Then the IVs are started and we are told she is to be admitted into the hospital for a few days. Once they have the results of her blood cultures, they will know if there is an infection and whether the seroma has to be drained. Antonio, fortunately, is able to stay with her. So another night for them together in a hospital. I told them that for the rest of their lives together, hospitals will make them feel strangely romantic.

Unforseen complication, but overall it does not appear to be too terrible. Just very uncomfortable for poor Iva. Ugh!