It's a bug's life

Sometimes, you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug. This past week I have felt like the bug.  In my previous post, I mentioned that I had required numerous medical appointments. Well, with apologies to Sonny Bono, the beat goes on! 

On Saturday, I had a transfusion of packed red blood cells. That required a drive to Portland, since the oncology/infusion center in Salem is not open on the weekends. Still, I was grateful to receive this treatment. If you have ever been anemic, you will understand why. Anemia, defined as "a quantitative deficiency of the hemoglobin," leaves one weak, dizzy, short of breath. Normal hemoglobin levels in men are between 13.5 and 17.5 grams per deciliter of blood. My level on Friday, when I had my last blood draw before the transfusion, was 7.6 or around half of what I should have. Trust me, that can leave a guy weak, dizzy, short of breath.

Another thing that I have discovered is that a low platelet count can have similar symptoms to low hemoglobin, and when both are low, you can begin to wonder if you can make it a few steps from the parking lot to the medical office. On last Friday, my platelet level was 30,000/milliliter of blood, whereas the normal range is 150,000-400,000/milliliter. In other words, I was one weak and woozy guy by the time I got to the Central Interstate Medical Office. 

Now, blood products are precious quantities, and they only come from kind and generous people who donate their own blood.* So, certain parameters come into play when determining whether to give a patient a transfusion. My hematology/oncology team uses 7.0 g/dL as the threshold for transfusing red blood cells and 20K/ml as the threshold for platelet transfusion. So, I am grateful that they also take into account my symptoms. I was grateful to receive a unit of RBCs on Saturday, and afterwards, I felt like a new man. I handed Jill my cane, while I went to the restroom. That's how steady I felt. 

Sunday was a good day, but Monday (yesterday) morning I was dizzy and weak again. I had a scheduled blood draw, which showed my hemoglobin was up to 8.0, but my platelets were back down to 20K. I don't know if I was more disappointed that my platelet level is going down, or that, although I was just at the threshold for another platelet transfusion, my HemOnc wanted to wait until tomorrow for a new blood draw to decide on transfusion. Either way, I felt kind of deflated for the rest of the day. 

But today is a new day, and God's mercies are new every morning. Last night I slept very well; better than I have in some time. This morning, I have renewed vigor and a renewed spirit; He restores my soul. 

I currently have an appointment for a blood draw tomorrow morning and a standby appointment for a transfusion, should it be needed, on Thursday morning. At the very least, that should keep me out of the ER. And the good news is that I am at the nadir of my chemotherapy response, so there is a good chance my blood counts could be up as of tomorrow morning, obviating the need for a transfusion on Thursday. 

So, now that I think about it, I may be the bug, but it's a bug's life! 

*If you are able and willing, I encourage you to consider donating blood products at your local Red Cross or other blood bank. People like me need people like you to be kind and generous!

Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. Ecclesiastes 11:1 (TLB)