Mucositis again...

Ellen is getting used to her isolation room (aka "Rapunzel's Tower") but unfortunately is now starting to feel the effects of the chemotherapy conditioning regime. She has developed mucositis, which means she is being sick regularly, has diarrhea and is unable to eat. She is being fed by a combination of feeds through her naso-gastric tube and intravenous nutrition in her Hickman line. The sickness often leads to her needing a new nose tube (currently averaging one new one per day) which is very uncomfortable and distressing for her, yet she remains amazingly brave and stoical. We have been told that the mucositis will get worse before it gets better over the next week or two. She is also on a cocktail of various antibiotics, antifungals, immunosuppressants and other IV infusions. All of this is to be expected at this stage but understandably that is little consolation to Ellen!