Well tonight was eventful, to say the least. I just got home from a trip to the Emergency Room, via ambulance with Chris. We had just finished our usual Sunday night dinner (normal stuff--roast beef, potatoes, veggies), when he started complaining about a weird feeling in his jaw. He got up and stood there for a bit, before going to grab his phone to call his Mom. My parents and I could hear him talking to her in the back room and his voice sounded really strange, like he had a slur or a speech impediment. He came out and said that we should go to the emergency room, but all of his pills and the letter from the Cancer Agency (which we have to take every visit to Emerg.) were at his house. I was about to drive him while my Dad picked up all his medications when Chris' Mom called our house phone and told my Mom to call 9-11. I immediately felt like I was going to throw up or pass out. I mean, when his mom is worried, its got to be bad...she has unknowingly been my rock for the past couple months. Chris' mom is a paediatrician and is able to explain every medical thing that is happening and has eased many of my fears over the last while. So the fact that she was worried, had me very worried.
On the "cool" side of this (if there is one) I got to take my first ride in an ambulance. Unfortunately, it wasn't deemed a total emergency so there were no cool sirens or lights going--and they took the long way to the hospital! They got us in really fast, but Chris' jaw was so tight that he couldn't speak without being in pain so I had to answer all the questions. I talked to his mom before I got called in to be with Chris and she said that once she had calmed down she realized that it was a side-effect to one of the anti-nausea drugs he's on (one I cannot spell). That made me feel tremendously better because it was something they could fix relatively fast I figured.
When I got to the back room where Chris was, he was still having the same problems with his jaw, neck and back but he was talking to a doctor. My Dad referred to Chris as "Quasimodo" because he was all hunched over with his lower jaw jutting outwards. The doctor confirmed the fact that it was most likely a reaction to the medication and prescribed another drug to get rid of the "lock-jaw." The nurse gave him a shot in the arm and had him wait for it to kick in. It took about 20-30 minutes before he could notice a difference...it seemed to get better and then all of a sudden get worse again, but eventually he was just left with a tenseness in his body. Chris' lips would droop downward and you could see him physically tense every time he breathed in. It was really scary to watch.
They finally sent us on our way with a few more of the pills to fight whatever reaction he had. Unfortunately, he has to be up early tomorrow to get blood tests done before his Chemo. at noon tomorrow. My fingers are crossed that everything goes smoothly and there are no more visits to the Emergency any time soon!
Goodnight everyone,
Kaitlin
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