When you have a child with Leukaemia, once you've got past the initial shock and terror, you come to expect the ups and downs that it brings. You're prepared for them to become ill and you're made aware of the potentially damaging side effects of the treatment.
What you don't expect is to give your child a widely used medication for acid reflux which leaves him barely conscious. Which is what happened in our house yesterday when I gave Matthew a new medicine.
I am very grateful to my neighbour who whisked Abi and Thomas to school as Matthew deteriorated so quickly they would have been badly frightened. My best friend appeared as if by magic, whilst I was calling for an ambulance. I'm normally extremely calm in a crisis but I could hardly get my words out to the operator, it was terrifying and she stayed with Matthew trying to keep him awake until the main ambulance crew arrived.
I later realised that the first responder, whose purpose is to get to the scene first, turned up last. At least twenty minutes after the ambulance car and a good ten after the ambulance. the only slightly amusing thing in the whole day.
The drug I gave him, having suggested it to our Clic nurse, is one I use myself and his sister was on for years. Fast acting and easy to take. Within an hour he said he felt unwell, within two hours he was only responding to pain stimulus. When he could be roused he was agitated and confused. Initially, the Drs discounted a drug reaction and after a few hours moved their focus to more scary things. Stroke, Meningitis and encephalitis, my fear was the Leukaemia back, or worse was there something growing that shouldn't be. There was talk of transferring him up to our childrens hospital in Bristol, but after liasing with them they firmed a plan. At this point they decided to put him through the MRI scanner. A massive machine, that is so incredibly loud I had to wear ear defenders to stay with him. The vibration made me feel physically ill. However, Matthew didn't even stir and others assumed he'd been sedated.
Waiting for the results was awful, but thankfully didn't take too long. They were clear of nasties which left a decision to be made about giving him a lumber puncture then or wait until the next day. His Dr is very measured in her actions and chose to wait, for that I am grateful, as she knew he'd fight them in agitation.
Friday arrived and with it a small boy who had no recollection of anything after getting into the ambulance until he finally woke for a couple of hours at 7pm. Waking hungry to find he was Nil by mouth wasn't the best news for him but I was more worried about him having a general anaesthetic and what they might find in his spinal fluid. But he woke after the anaesthetic like they said he would, and the best news was that it was clear of infection and Leukaemia.
Saturday morning came and he's back to his old self, his Dr is now absolutely convinced he's had a very very rare reaction to the drug. That's two serious drug reactions in five months and two too many. I'm very glad he can't remember anything, particularly how he scared the pants off us all!!
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