Does anyone have experience with undergoing chemotherapy and the complications that are more likely because of SCI?
I have a very dear friend in Ohio, USA who has had a C6 quadriplegia for 37 years, is now 54 years old and got bladder cancer. His bladder was removed, he was in hospital for 4 months with complications directly related to his SCI (blood pressure, med mix ups, 5 intubations, temperature disregulation--to name a few). The possibility of these complications were not discussed nor planned for before the surgery even though they are known risks for quadriplegia.
Now he is to start chemo and AGAIN there has been no discussion of complications that are more likely to occur or impact him differently because he is quadriplegic, such as aspiration from vomiting, heightened infection risk (his white blood counts are already low), etc. We want to anticipate and ensure he has support this time around for his special needs but have trouble getting info, statistics etc that will help him advocate for things like home health care and better monitoring, and additional professional help (like a hematologist?), etc. This is to be done outpatient and he lives alone .
Do people have experiences and resources they can share?
Many Thanks, Sue