A rough start

Austin began his third round of chemotherapy yesterday and he is well on his way to filling up his second string of Bravery Beads. Austin was given a Bravery Bead necklace at the beginning of his cancer battle with his name on it. When he undergoes difficult treatments, such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, he is "awarded" a special plastic, glass or wooden bead to commemorate his journey along the road to recovery. Austin hangs his "string of courage" on his IV pole (he certainly wouldn't be caught wearing a necklace!).
So far, the chemo has not brought on any blood pressure fluctuations, breathing difficulties or shaking (like previously seen) - but he has been horribly ill! He has not stopped throwing up since his first dose of vincristine, amifostine and cisplatin yesterday. He also has had very bad diarrhea which, in turn, has messed up his electrolyte levels. He received more chemo today in the form of cyclophosphamide, which has continued to cause him great discomfort. His anti-nausea medications are not having any effect, so the nurse just gave him some gravol to help him get to sleep (which is the only comfort he really has right now). Austin also got a high fever this afternoon, and is on 3 different antibiotics to combat whatever it is he may have contracted. The fever is still rising and he cannot tolerate Tylenol in his stomach which would help alleviate the fever. Apparently, IV acetaminophen is available in the US, but has not been approved for use in Canada - go figure. Austin's TPN and lipids have restarted (after some persistence from mom who had to ensure he received a 24-hour infusion of "hot dogs in a bag" - as we like to call it here at the hospital).