My husband was admitted with a diagnosis of Lymphoma. He was to begin a combination of two chemo drugs on Monday. He had some serious cardiac side effects and chemo was stopped. It was to hopefully be restarted after a cardiac workup. A cardiac cath was eventually done and my husband was cleared by the cardiologist to restart chemo.
A week later, the drug my husband reacted to was again started. About an hour into it, without warning, he suddenly got out of bed, running to the bathroom. He "had to go" and I could not stop him. I followed him into the washroom and within seconds he collapsed. A rapid response was called. He quickly came to and blood pressure returned to normal. Heart rate and pulse ox readings were unchanged and normal.
B remembered what happened. His oncologist made the decision to hold the chemo for a month. I did understand but my daughter and I were devastated.This particular drug would give him the best chance for remission. Margo politely, but assertively and relentlessly asked that the doctor be contacted again.
B's nurse, Margo, left the room. She returned shortly. She had been caring for my husband since the early morning. Both she and the RRT nurse felt that B had experienced orthostatic hypotension, rather than a serious reaction to the chemotherapy. Margo told the oncologist what she believed happened and he decided to resume the chemo slowly, keeping my husband in bed.
Margo not only had excellent assessment skills, but she truly listened to us and became my husband's advocate. I'm sure her actions did not make her day easier, but she put my husband's needs first and I feel made a difference in giving him a chance at life. I'll never forget her.