Up your hemoglobin, Buddy!

You know something?  It feels good to feel good! I had more lab work yesterday. All of my blood parameters are in the normal range, except for my red blood cells (RBC). But, and this is big, my RBCs are rebounding at an amazing rate. Two weeks ago, my hemoglobin was at 7.7 gm/dL (grams per deciliter of blood), whereas the normal range is 13-17 (let's drop the gm/dL). Last Monday, it had risen to 8.8, and yesterday it was up to 10.7. Now, at the risk of pointing out the obvious, my hemoglobin rose a little over one point the first week and almost two points the second week. 

Hemoglobin, as you will know if you have been following the blog, is a protein contained in RBCs that carries oxygen to the tissues in the body. When there is not enough hemoglobin, the tissues starve for oxygen, including the brain. I think I have also previously used the analogy of exerting oneself at a considerably higher altitude than one is accustomed to and feeling short of breath and light-headed. That's how low hemoglobin makes me feel. In short, low hemoglobin isn't fun and results in my feeling pretty lethargic and energy starved. 

Now then, Jill and I went for our daily constitutional yesterday. We have had over three and a half inches of rain in Dallas in the last few days, which means we are always on the lookout for a break during which we can walk without drowning. Yesterday, we chose what we thought was going to be that break, but after we got started, we realized that there was a bit of "mist" in the air. It was also around 38 degrees outside. I was glad to be able to move along at rather an impressive clip. As the walk progressed, so did the intensity of the "mist." Why, if I didn't know better, I would say it was actually turning into rain. 

We kept our pace up to  the maximum I could muster, and I found that, by comparison with a week or so ago, I had more stamina, was able to make better time and was not huffing and puffing. We made it around our mile and a half circuit in better than usual time, and we were glad of two things: 1) that we had walked, and 2) that we were finished walking in such weather!!

Another factoid that you may recall from my last post is that we are scheduled to get away to the beach for the New Year's weekend. That's better than two weeks from now. I am hoping to have my RBCs and hemoglobin up to normal levels by then and, perhaps, even be able to drive. Driving is something I haven't done since back in June, because of this whole hemoglobin business. 

As I reflect on this sojourn in the land of blood cancer, I shudder to realize that I probably shouldn't have been driving for some time before June. (Sorry about that!) So, the prospect of driving again is both exciting and a little frightening. I suppose, after sixty years of driving, that it will be like falling off a bicycle to get behind the wheel again. I'll try to let you know my intended routes, if you feel like you'd rather keep off the road when I am jumping into the world of motor vehicle maneuvering again!! Of course, by then my hemoglobin will be higher than it has been since somewhere shortly after my last "normal" blood work in March.

So, if you see a Ford Edge or a Nissan Titan going under the speed limit or forgetting to signal a turn, just be patient for a little while. I'll get it!!