I finally got out of the hospital on Wednesday about midday. I thought I would get out earlier, but you know how things flow. First, my platelets seemed to right themselves and at least seemed to be holding, if not going up. Then my other counts drop, mainly my hematocrit (red blood cells that give me my energy) and my neutrophils (ah yes, those oh-so-very important immune system cells). Hematocrit is hanging out at 37, borderline transfusion time) and my neutrophils are somewhere under .5, the magic number that defines neutrophenia, which we all know I like so much.
On Tuesday, the docs decide to keep me an extra night to get a transfusion of red blood cells. The nurse gives me my pre-meds (Benedryl and Tylenol to help stave off reactions) and goes to order the blood. Eight hours later, they still haven't found a match for me because of those unruly antibodies in my blood that have been causing the ruckus all along. So I sleep, expecting to be woken sometime in the middle of the night. Morning arrives and still no blood. However, my morning blood test shows a bump in my hematocrit and my neutrophils. No more low red count and no more neutrophenia! That's right about the time they find the right blood for me and the docs decide that I don't need it anymore. I get to go home.
All in all, my latest hospital adventure was little more than a blip, and from what I can tell, an isolated event, not a prediction of the future. It does scare me, though (and frustrates me more) when it happens. I've gotten so far along in this game that I'm starting to feel like I don't have many chips left. Seriously, I will share with you, I was sitting on that gurney in the emergency room, with queer red splotches covering my legs and I just found out my platelets were nine. I wondered, kind of matter-of-factly, abstractly, outside of myself ... Is this it? Is this the beginning of something big? And, of course I asked the doctor if I was going to die (oh yes I did) and he assured me I was not ... Then I see "anxiety/depression" scrawled along with five or six other things in the "diagnosis" box on my chart.
I should share some good news that I found out along the way: 1) I got my bone marrow biopsy and the preliminary results show NO CANCER in the bone marrow. Horray! Now all I have to do is survive all the stuff I did to get rid of it. 2) I got an MRI on my hip joints (they suspected Avascular Necrosis (yeah, sounds bad, is bad) and everything is clear. I just have to strengthen that area, it's weakened from steroids, etc.
Well that's all for now ... More doctor appointments next week and I'll be back with more news. You are all in my heart, my friends ...
much love,
Katie
Comments (2)
Dear Katie,
So glad that you are home-tried to gat a hold of you each day and could not get through. So I decided that you would let me know id there was anything to know.
I don't blame you for asking the Doc if you were going to die-good greef you have been through so mcuh in the last year. By the was it just looks impressive to scrawl just one more diagnosis on the chart, so most Docs think; but impressive to whom?
It just always feels better wo know a why to the situation-it is so difficult to just trust and let go and let God so to speak when you are in the thick of it all and so much is going around in your head. So we out here will do the holding of good thoughts and believe for you while you are spinning.
Take care and so glad that you are home and thank you for letting me know that you were in the hospital.
Love,
Mom
Posted by Mom | June 26, 2009 5:48 PM
Posted on June 26, 2009 17:48
hey Katie,
it was goo dto see you and the family on Saturday. Keep up the good work! I'll see you at the poker table soon, right?
I expect we need to play a few hands, don't we?
Posted by HOg | June 30, 2009 2:21 PM
Posted on June 30, 2009 14:21