Well, dear family & friends, as Megan put it, I was me being me again & ended up in the hospital from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning! I tell ya, I just can't get along without that awesome hospital food. Oh so NOT! And this time it was even worse because I was on a "heart healthy" diet. Seriously, I didn't think bad food could be made even worse! Well, it is possible. The option I'd had of making some foods more palatable with a touch (and I do mean "touch") of salt or some butter was totally eliminated. I mean really people, who eats a half of a DRY baked potato with one little itty-bitty container of Healthy Spread a/k/a margarine and Original Mrs. Dash? Okay, I can almost handle Mrs. Dash in a crockpot pot roast but on a DRY baked potato with a tiny bit fake butter? No thank you please!
And now for the reason for the crappy food. I could tell on Thursday when I had an appointment with my Oncologist / Hematologist that I was a quart low (in need of two units of blood) so I wasn't at all surprised to learn that my hemoglobin was low. Since it was early afternoon, I could get only one unit of blood and was to be back on Friday @ 10:00 for the second. The next morning I had come downstairs to take my morning meds, and washed the growing pile of dishes in the sink. (In my defense, not all my fault. I hadn't had enough energy to put away the dishes in the dishwasher & my truly wonderful youngest child isn't really excited about doing dishes. If they're rnsed out and in the sink, that's good enough for him - apparently no matter how high the stack gets in the sink.) But again, I digress. I finished the dishes and glanced at the clock and realized that I needed to hustle buns to get to the Infusion Center on time. I went upstairs - possibly a bit more quickly than usual - and by the time I got to the top of the stairs my heart was pounding. I went into my bedroom and laid down for about four or five minutes until the pounding stopped. I finished getting ready and left for the hospital. On the way there, I started feeling chest pressure - it was the classic symptoms. I decided I wasn't going to tell anyone but as Jeremy was starting the transfusion, I was feeling the pressure so I told him. Bad idea! Probably good in the long run but......
I was quickly taken down to the ER. Having worked in the ER, I knew one of the blood tests included checking the triponin - an enzyme that is produced if the patient has had an MI (heart attack). Of course, mine was elevated. That means they have to do another test in two hours. Rats! It went up even more. So the cardiologist determined that I needed to be admitted and monitored for 48 hrs and I needed a stress test on Saturday.
I was more worried about my legs holding out for the treadmill than anything related to my heart. Oh my goodness! Can you say very weak hamstrings and knees. Gee whiz peeps, I'd only been out of the hospital for a week & was starting to feel like my feet were under me. But, I PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS.
The cardiologist isn't really sure what may have caused the symptoms but I appeared to have a healthy heart. When I texted my my immediate family, Megan texted back to double-check that the doc really didn't have any answers and completed her query with "or is it just you being you?" Yup, my wonderful and wise daughter, it was just me being me!
When it comes to medical issues, I rarely do the normal thing.
We met with the Transplant Team at UIHC last Wednesday & Dr. Silverman is saying that we need to get things rolling sooner as opposed to later.
I met with Dr. B today after my lab draws. Believe it or not, my platelets are now in the normal range. Unfortunately, Myleodysplastic Syndrome is really taking a toll on my neutrophils - the infection fighting white blood cells. I have received the maximum amount of Neupogen injections at this time. I will have lab draws again a week from tomorrow & if my neutrophils have gone from 780 to 1,000, she will have me start the second round of chemo. Her thoughts and concerns at this point, based on the fact that only my platelet count has really made significant "progress," she doesn't think I will be able to withstand the full ten days of chemo.
At my appointment with the Transplant Team, they did swab me for matching & will contact my brothers, Don and Paul to arrange for their match kits.
I continue to feel your prayers at work. Please don't stop now as things seem to be getting a bit dicey.
Also, please keep Richard in your prayers as he moves from this life to his heavenly reward. Please lift up his wife, Susan, as she works through this. She is emotionally and physically exhausted.
If you're still awake, I ask that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, be with you each day in a very special way.
Nightly-Noo-Noo
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