Ice Effects

Our computer hasn't been working so I'm a little behind...let me try to catch up.

Monday, May 7th, I went to the lab for blood tests, both a CBC and INR test at about noon.  (INR is to test how fast my blood is clotting.)  My doctor from the the Coumadin Clinic (Blood thinner medicine) called first.  She let me know that my INR level was low so she wanted me to start back on the Lovenox shots to lower my risk of clotting.  I still had some shots at home, so I had my husband give me a shot before he left for work.  Then soon after, my oncologist called to let me know that my platelets were low and I needed to go to the ER for a platelet transfusion.  I had to yell down for my husband to wait so he could drop me off at the ER on his way to work.  We left at about 3:30pm.  I didn't think it would take long; thought I would be home for dinner, so I rushed out the door and told the girls I would see them soon.

At the ER I was actually taken back fairly quickly, but once back there I waited quite a while.  There was a tech and even a PA that stopped in to see how I was doing and let me know what was going on.  However, I was waiting for a nurse to come in and draw blood etc...get the ball rolling.  My blood wasn't drawn until after 6pm and they didn't start giving me the platelets until around 8pm.  Then at about 10pm they were getting ready to release me and the PA came in and said they were going to admit me instead.  He said that there had been a big drop in some of my counts between the noon and 6pm tests.  He said that he was afraid there might be some internal bleeding, maybe in the GI tract.  He also told me he had only seen numbers drop like that in someone that had blown up.  (Yes he actually said that.)  So...I found out I was going to have to stay, when I had been so excited to get to leave. 

Once I was admitted, I began prepping for a scope of my GI tract.  The prep included drinking a gallon of Go Lightly, (The name shows that someone had a sense of humor.) and many trips to the bathroom all night long.  The next morning, after meeting the entire staff of the hospital (almost anyway), I also received a red blood transfusion and was told I did the GI prep for nothing, they didn't want to scope after all.  I could tell that the doctors were not happy with my blood counts but I kept telling everyone I saw that I felt fine and I was ready to go home.  Finally, they decided to release me and I arrived home about 7pm; 24 hours later than expected.