Day 20 and we're in a Spot of Bother

Blimmin' Heck. A lot has happened in the last 24 hours.

Madam has had a temperature every day since we've been here, but the periods between each spike are getting shorter. She has been running a high fever pretty much straight since Monday morning. It comes down when we remove her clothing and direct a cold fan at her, only to creep back up again. Sometimes Paracetamol does the trick, sometimes not. She is on huge doses of Ibuprofen as part of her treatment, for its anti-inflammatory properties, and that helps in the fight to keep her temperature under control, but in a 24 hour period, she is now feverish more than not.

The general consensus seems to be that the ULI is still active, still aggressive, and that somewhere inside her is another site of infection.

Yesterday, the Cardiac Consultant did his job and consulted with the Infectious Diseases Unit (IDU). I must admit I had to stifle a giggle at the thought. I am still being asked if we've been abroad recently. No, not recently. Recently, we have mostly been in hospital.  Anyway, the IDU (not to be confused with 'Intravenous Drug Use' or my favourite acronym, 'I Don't Understand') have said that Madam will require an additional antibiotic in the mix and must remain on her IV cocktail for another month. Yes. Exactly. That's just what I said.

If that wasn't enough to be going on with, at bath time yesterday, I realised she had a rash on her torso. Doctors were called. Somebody thought it might be chickenpox, except they weren't sure as they had never seen the chickenpox rash in its early stages - (I have added it to my Dorling Kindersley pitch). Then her temperature began its evening climb and I noticed that her left knee was swollen. I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous. Doctors were called again and everyone agreed that we should see what happens.

So, today that's exactly what we have been doing - watching. Watching her temperature climb dramatically and then fall, climb and fall. The rash has spread to cover her whole body, her face has swollen and her knee is getting bigger. The theory this morning was that it is a delayed reaction to the antibiotic, so the lunchtime IV was cancelled to see what happened. Then it was reinstated, just in case the rash and fever were not a reaction to the antibiotic. Do try and keep up.

The IDU came in this afternoon to start their own investigations. Both knees were swollen by then and there was limited mobility in one shoulder joint also, so in the morning we are having scans done on these areas. The antibiotic is being changed in the hope that the rash will either disappear, showing it was a reaction to the other one, or will remain, showing that it is another symptom of the overall infection. More blood was taken - is there any left? - and more biological cultures will be grown. And in the meantime we are confined to this little room and not allowed out in case we are infectious.

But that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is not being able to escape from Mr Flaming Tumble, who must take the Most Irritating Children's TV Character Biscuit and who appears on Cbeebies about forty-five times a day. With his spotty bag.