Platelets? What platelets?

There are a couple of things you don't want to hear from your doctor. One would be, "Go the the ER, now!" But another and maybe more terrifying one is, "They are swamped right now!" I know that the people working in the ER have no control over who shows up or when, but really couldn't people be more orderly about having emergencies? Why must they show up in droves, when I need to go there? 

Yesterday's blood draw showed a platelet level of 7. Now, just for some perspective, when my platelet level gets below 50, I have to stop taking the blood thinner I have been taking to prevent more blood clots in my leg. If I continue to take it, there is significant risk of a serious bleeding event, the most serious being a brain bleed.  

I knew when I got up yesterday morning, that my platelets must be low. Telltale signs include bleeding from my nose, hematomas (blood blisters) in my mouth and little red spots (petechiae) on my skin. I had 'em all. As grandpa used to say, anything worth doing is worth doing well, right? Never, however, have my platelets been so low. Hence, Dr. Waugh sent me to the ER, because waiting to get blood products for a transfusion today at the clinic was just too risky. 

I dislike going to the ER, primarily because there are so many sick people there. I know they didn't get sick to annoy me, but in the time of a Covid19 surge, it scares me to be close to other people, because of my compromised immune system. Still, one has to make choices. I could go to the ER and risk exposure to something that could kill me, or I could wait a day and risk a bleeding event that could kill me. Let's see, Russian roulette or tight-roping across the Grand Canyon? Well, there's an easy choice. 

The other thing about the ER, of course is that it ain't the speediest way to get your medical care. We received the call from Dr. Waugh's office just before noon, arrived at the ER about 12:45PM, had a transfusion of two units of platelets, which take about 30 minutes each...and arrived back home a little after 9:00PM. Arggghhh!

Another complicating factor is that the closest ER we have is at Salem Hospital, a service of Salem Health. Our insurance is through Kaiser Permanente, a different organization. Although the two cooperate, their IT systems are not 100% compatible. Hence, Salem Hospital was obliged to redo the stat labs that I had just had at 9:00AM at Kaiser. I didn't learn until this morning that by the time we got another blood draw at Salem hospital, my platelet count had dropped to 5! Yikes. I'm glad I was able to go to the ER. 

Moving along here, after I had the transfusions, I was immediately released to go home. I felt so much better with platelets on board, and I continue to feel refreshed this morning. Since I don't know what my platelet count is today, I will eschew the blood thinner medication until my next labs, which are scheduled for Thursday. 

Of course, God, in His infinite wisdom, does not waste anything. There were a couple of serendipitous moments in this visit. First, the ER physician was Dr. Houck. That got my attention, because my best friend during senior year in high school was Jim Hauck. I mentioned that to the good doctor, and he said that Jim was his great uncle. (That made me feel a bit old, to think that someone my age had a grand nephew who is old enough to be a physician who has not only completed college, and medical school, but a residency in the bargain.) 

Later, I realized that this fellow was not my friend's grand nephew. If you will notice, the two surnames are spelled differently. I finally realized that, when I remembered that Jim's nickname in high school was "Hawk," due to the spelling of his name. Still, it was fun to think for a short while, what a small world it can be. 

Now to complete the serendipity, and this one is real, in chatting with the RN who looked after me, I mentioned that I could sympathize with the rigors of working an extremely busy shift in the ER, thanks to my fourteen years of dental practice limited to urgent dental care. He told me that his father is a dentist, and he said, "You may know him, his name is Craig Snyder." 

Well, now we were onto something. Craig and I were classmates in dental school. In addition, we both worked for Permanente Dental Associates for many years as colleagues. For the rest of the time I was at the ER, Kevin and I had a great connection. He wanted to know the "dirt" on Craig. The problem is that Craig is such a wonderful guy that I couldn't think of any "dirt" to share. Kevin acknowledged that his dad was a pretty special guy and promised to tell him "hello" from me. 

Now, an experience like this one is part stimulating and part stressful. By the time Jill and I got home, we were a bit wound up, not to mention hungry. So, as is our wont, we had a little party with sandwiches, a glass of wine for Jill, and a seltzer for me. We got to bed late, of course, but we both slept well, and look forward to a day without much structure. We plan to finish reading our current mystery to each other and take a walk. Otherwise, we hope for a less eventful day than yesterday. 

 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34