High Fever

Hello all,

My mom has triple negative breast cancer and is on weekly taxol/carbo chemo. On her 8th chemo session, she ended up getting chills and a high fever that led us to the emergency room.

They found nothing except low potassium, had her take some potassium and sent her home. (This had never happened before and my mom assumed she had just gotten sick, did not relate to to chemo)

The next session, the same thing happened. Was admitted to the hospital to keep on eye on. All they did was give her Tylenol every few hours, but in the end... No sepsis. No infection at all. Just again, low potassium. They had her take potassium and we were free to go.

The 3rd week, her dr took off the taxol to test if it was causing drug fever, so they only did carbo. She ended up getting a fever again, but this time we gave her Tylenol at home. Along with some liquid IV and we were able to break the fever during the night.

4th (11 session) she saw a different NP due to her usual np/dr being out. She okayed the taxol/carbo AGAIN and my mom started feeling bad during the carbo this time instead of after so they stopped it.

Every time we go they say her blood work looks great and that they're not sure what can be causing her to get sick. I think this time, once her dr is back they'll take her off the carbo but has anyone else experienced this?

I want to think the carbo causes her potassium to drop because she seems to have symptoms of low potassium. But that apparently doesn't explain the fevers.

We live out of town from the oncology center, we travel about 3 hours.... And I hate that they seem to just say "everything looks fine"