I have been anemic for as long as I can remember but in the last year or so my anemia has gotten worse. I've always been tired and low on energy but considering how busy my life is, fatigue is not acceptable. Things needed to be done and I'm the mommy. However, this last year has been somewhat difficult. I get winded climbing stairs and had some rather significant weight gain. Not having enough blood causes my heart to pump harder trying to get what little I do have to the other parts of my body. This causes me to have trouble breathing at times and slows down my metabolism considerably. I've been to the doctor several times over the past year for test on my thyroid and other things. I've had a colonoscopy (that was fun, not!), an upper GI, an ultrasound of my uterus, scan of my kidneys and numerous blood tests......which by the way makes no sense to me. I'm only producing about a 1/3 of the red blood cells a person needs. My hemoglobin was at 8.2 the last time they took blood. At 7.0 a person needs a blood transfusion. If the hemoglobin drops below 7 then you start to risk damage to organs such as the lungs and heart. So, if I don't make enough blood, then why do they keep taking it from me to test? Don't I need all the blood I can get?
Anyway, I started my iron infusions this week at our new Commonwealth Cancer Center to see if maybe that will work instead of giving me a blood transfusion. I'm hooked up to an IV for 4 hours a day, every Friday for 6 weeks. This past Friday was my first. They take me back to Wing A and show me around, giving me a tour of the place. There's a little kitchen with a microwave and refrigerator. An ice machine and coffee maker and snacks of various kinds. And then..... there is the other patients. Mostly cancer patients going through their chemo treatments. I think I was the only one in the room who still had my hair besides the nurses. One particular patient was my neighbor Deborah. Before I get hooked up, I decide to grab a bit, since I'm going to be a while, and then go potty. When I return to my chair, my IV pole is already there along with some pills in a little cup. Deborah instructs me to take them and I do so figuring she knew what she was talking about. I take my place in the chair and a little nurse comes by and asks if I need a pillow or a blanket. I decline thinking I am probably the healthiest one in there room and she should probably be helping the cancer patients more. Of course the nurses a very complimentary to everyone back here in Wing A. I just feel guilty for being in this place and the only thing wrong with me is anemia.....but, this is where my Hematologist is so, this is where I need to be for the moment.
Deborah is staring out the window when I offer her a magazine I brought to spend the time. She is very pale, gaunt and wears a little UK cap on her bare head to keep her warm. She declines at first then changes her mind. She asks me about my infusion and I tell her my story then, she tells me hers. She has just recently been diagnose with throat cancer on July 4th and I had noticed the trache sticking out of her throat. She talks with a horse voice as I listen. She has been sick for a while but her regular medical doctor has yet to figure out what's wrong with her. Finally she gets bad enough for an emergency room visit one night and is diagnose within 30 minutes of her arrival with cancer. Something her doctor hadn't been unable to detect in previous months. She is given 0-6 months to live but treatment has been good to her and now her prognosis has become a 98% chance of remission. She tells me this is something very positive coming out of a very negative situation. Deborah will start radiation 5 days a week for 8 weeks soon and is looking forward to getting better. She says this with a smile on her face. Deborah tells me I look tired and should probably take a nap. The medicine has made me rather sleepy. She explains taking a nap makes the treatments go faster. It's raining outside now and a nap sounds like a good idea. I close my eyes and drift off as she flips through my magazine. I awake a little while later to my nurse switching out my IV bags and Deborah is getting done with her treatment. She hands me back my magazine and asks if I had a good nap. I reply as she gathers her things. She tells the nurse she will see her again tomorrow and turns to me and says she hopes I start feeling better soon. She brushes my hand as she walks by and I think "Wow" to myself. I think she's more worried about me than she is herself. I'm not sure what to say and just kinda a nod in recognition. She shuffles off out the door and I wonder if she'll be my neighbor again next Friday when I'm here again. I hope so I think silently to myself as I watch the rain misting outside my window.........
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