Well, I haven't been here posting in a while now. I guess that there just really wasn't all that much to say, so I didn't say anything.
Now, I am here for my own theraputic reasons. I've heard from many others that blogging is theraputic. So, for anyone who happens to still come and check out my dormant blog, this one is for me.
After losing so much weight (almost 40 pounds) and learning how to eat healthy - and doing a good job at it, I got what I called 'the back-ended flu' from my boss before he left for his Hawaii trip. The last week of February, I got the diarreah along with fever, stomach ache... normal flu-like symptoms without vomitting. All kinds of nasty crud was going around at the time - my kids were sick (several times). My intestinal issues (diarreah, gas, grumbles) lasted 3 weeks and I decided it was worth a trip to the doctor's office. She didn't think it was real serious (or should I leave out the word "real"?) but decided it was a good opportunity to do some bloodwork and see how things looked.
She tested my cholesterol, sugar, liver function, kidney function, a CBC and I'm not sure what else, but I had to fast for 12 hours and so I ended up waiting a couple weeks-ish until it was a Saturday when I remembered to not eat for a long enough period of time. :) That Saturday - was last Saturday (3/29/08). I went and had my two tubes drawn, knowing that all would turn out great and confirm that my healthy new choice of living was doing good things for my body.
On Monday morning, the doctor called me. Yes, the doctor herself. She called me to tell me that I am/was severely anemic. Normal hemoglobin levels are 12-16. Mine was 8.5. She told me that when hemoglobin level gets in the 8-9 range, doctors consider giving a blood transfusion. She told me the cause of the anemia was probably due to low iron and that she wanted to check my blood to be sure before she gave me a prescription for iron supplements. So, Monday before noon - I went back to the lab to have my iron checked.
The nurse took me back to the room and proceeded to draw SIX tubes of blood. SIX!!! I thought I was just getting my iron level checked. My doctor ordered TEN additional blood tests. And one of them had to be done at the lab - the one to check to see how fast my blood clots. So, after leaving six tubes of blood behind at that lab, I headed to the hospital to have my finger pricked for the TENTH test.
Tuesday morning, I call the doctor's office and find out that they have not been faxed my results. I called the lab and had them "resend" them. The doctor would be reviewing the results at lunchtime and call me. At 12:30, the doctor calls (yes, the doctor herself again) and tells me that - surprisingly - my iron level is fine. AND my hemoglobin level has dropped from 8.5 to 8.1. She is now thinking that my anemia must be a hereditary form - and that test result wasn't in yet - so we would have to wait a couple days for that test result to come in.
I'm almost 40 years old and have never had my hemoglobin checked? I'm almost 40 years old and have had low hemoglobin all my life and NO ONE has ever mentioned it? Not while I was pregnant? That didn't seem right to me. So, I spent two hours calling around getting authorizations to get my labwork results from doctors I've seen. The hospital came through for me and faxed me over 18 pages of labwork results for tests I've had done from 1998 - 2004. I look over the results. Not anywhere in that 6 year period did I have a hemoglobin result come back low. Not even once. I faxed over those 18 pages along with a note to my doctor that it wasn't looking likely that the results of that hereditary test was going to come back and give that answer.
About an hour or so later, the doctor (herself) called and said that based on what I sent her, she agreed... not hereditary. So, she told me that she was arranging for me to get a blood transfusion the next morning (WHAT???????????) and that she was calling a Hematologist to get me in asap. And that she wanted to me do a stool kit to check for internal bleeding (WHAT?) She called me back a short time later to give me times for both appointments.
So, Wednesday morning comes and I head to the hospital. Before I can get my blood transfusion, I have to have another blood draw to make sure my blood is low. Test comes back at 8.3. Got to hospital at 10:00 and at 11:30, they hook up unit #1 and start transfusing. When it was finished, I got a second unit. When that was done, we waited about 20 minutes-ish and then I had to have my blood drawn again to make sure the count increased. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait for those results before leaving! I was discharged at 3:40pm. Long day. (sigh) And the result of that last draw showed an increase from 8.3 to 10.4. :) Good news.
Now, I am here for my own theraputic reasons. I've heard from many others that blogging is theraputic. So, for anyone who happens to still come and check out my dormant blog, this one is for me.
After losing so much weight (almost 40 pounds) and learning how to eat healthy - and doing a good job at it, I got what I called 'the back-ended flu' from my boss before he left for his Hawaii trip. The last week of February, I got the diarreah along with fever, stomach ache... normal flu-like symptoms without vomitting. All kinds of nasty crud was going around at the time - my kids were sick (several times). My intestinal issues (diarreah, gas, grumbles) lasted 3 weeks and I decided it was worth a trip to the doctor's office. She didn't think it was real serious (or should I leave out the word "real"?) but decided it was a good opportunity to do some bloodwork and see how things looked.
She tested my cholesterol, sugar, liver function, kidney function, a CBC and I'm not sure what else, but I had to fast for 12 hours and so I ended up waiting a couple weeks-ish until it was a Saturday when I remembered to not eat for a long enough period of time. :) That Saturday - was last Saturday (3/29/08). I went and had my two tubes drawn, knowing that all would turn out great and confirm that my healthy new choice of living was doing good things for my body.
On Monday morning, the doctor called me. Yes, the doctor herself. She called me to tell me that I am/was severely anemic. Normal hemoglobin levels are 12-16. Mine was 8.5. She told me that when hemoglobin level gets in the 8-9 range, doctors consider giving a blood transfusion. She told me the cause of the anemia was probably due to low iron and that she wanted to check my blood to be sure before she gave me a prescription for iron supplements. So, Monday before noon - I went back to the lab to have my iron checked.
The nurse took me back to the room and proceeded to draw SIX tubes of blood. SIX!!! I thought I was just getting my iron level checked. My doctor ordered TEN additional blood tests. And one of them had to be done at the lab - the one to check to see how fast my blood clots. So, after leaving six tubes of blood behind at that lab, I headed to the hospital to have my finger pricked for the TENTH test.
Tuesday morning, I call the doctor's office and find out that they have not been faxed my results. I called the lab and had them "resend" them. The doctor would be reviewing the results at lunchtime and call me. At 12:30, the doctor calls (yes, the doctor herself again) and tells me that - surprisingly - my iron level is fine. AND my hemoglobin level has dropped from 8.5 to 8.1. She is now thinking that my anemia must be a hereditary form - and that test result wasn't in yet - so we would have to wait a couple days for that test result to come in.
I'm almost 40 years old and have never had my hemoglobin checked? I'm almost 40 years old and have had low hemoglobin all my life and NO ONE has ever mentioned it? Not while I was pregnant? That didn't seem right to me. So, I spent two hours calling around getting authorizations to get my labwork results from doctors I've seen. The hospital came through for me and faxed me over 18 pages of labwork results for tests I've had done from 1998 - 2004. I look over the results. Not anywhere in that 6 year period did I have a hemoglobin result come back low. Not even once. I faxed over those 18 pages along with a note to my doctor that it wasn't looking likely that the results of that hereditary test was going to come back and give that answer.
About an hour or so later, the doctor (herself) called and said that based on what I sent her, she agreed... not hereditary. So, she told me that she was arranging for me to get a blood transfusion the next morning (WHAT???????????) and that she was calling a Hematologist to get me in asap. And that she wanted to me do a stool kit to check for internal bleeding (WHAT?) She called me back a short time later to give me times for both appointments.
So, Wednesday morning comes and I head to the hospital. Before I can get my blood transfusion, I have to have another blood draw to make sure my blood is low. Test comes back at 8.3. Got to hospital at 10:00 and at 11:30, they hook up unit #1 and start transfusing. When it was finished, I got a second unit. When that was done, we waited about 20 minutes-ish and then I had to have my blood drawn again to make sure the count increased. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait for those results before leaving! I was discharged at 3:40pm. Long day. (sigh) And the result of that last draw showed an increase from 8.3 to 10.4. :) Good news.
Now my job is to complete the stool kit I've been given. Yipee. Yahoo. Fun, fun, fun. And to write down all of my questions that I have for the Hematologist.
From all of the "research" I've done online, my last chance for a "semi-simple" answer is for them to find blood in the stool and have it be something like a bleeding ulcer. If there is no internal bleeding, they I am more-than-likely looking at some blood disorder, blood disease or cancer. Let's hope whatever it is, it is treatable if not curable. :)
1 comment:
8O OMG Cathy! I'm so sorry they are springing this on you! Other than the "back-end flu," how are you feeling?
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