Dramatic stuff

Wow - what a day. Maddy was really quite unwell this morning.
This was due to a combination of her already weakened condition from the chemotherapy, not eating or even drinking for about 18 hours, a two hour drive into Leeds first thing this morning and the heat of the weather.
As she arrived at St James's just after 09.30, there was a bit of a drama as she collapsed on her way to the ward. Presumably hospital grounds are relatively safe places to have 'a bit of a turn', as there are usually plenty of medically trained staff around to assist. This was the case this morning although Julie was, understandably, very worried regardless. Fortunately, a passing ambulance whisked her round to the front of the hospital campus where she was admitted to A&E. She was attended to very promptly with oxygen and to stabilise her heartbeat and blood pressure before being taken on to the ward. Once there she was hydrated with subtantial quantities of saline solution to deal with the underlying problem......Maddy had become seriously dehydrated. By mid-afternoon her BP was rising toward normal again and she looked alert and much more animated than earlier.
The IT procedure has been postponed until (at least) tomorrow, but it's amazing how quickly someone can seem very seriously ill and then recover so impressively in just a few hours. By tea time, Maddy had eaten some jelly and a packet of McDonald's fries brought in at the request of some of the other teenagers in the room.
This last item would normally not be condoned by her parents, but in the current circumstances - 'anything goes' on the food front and so the disappearing French Fries were, in fact, a most welcome site. Maddy should also receive about 400 calories through her NG (nasal-gastro) tube overnight.
High drama then, but importantly, a much better end to the day compared to the start.
As Gill, one of the ward nurses said to Madeleine, "That was an impressive entrance - you certainly got our attention....".
Everyone's still hopeful that Maddy will get home (again !) later this week, but for now it's a case of one day at a time.
Watch this space for updates.