Saturday, Bloody Saturday

It is not what U2 had in mind, but I did spend a weekend day having 2 units of blood infused into my veins.  Technically, this is considered both an  infusion and a transfusion.  I'll just call it blood-fusion, to make it sound like an emerging cuisine.

No, I was not intending to follow in Lance's footsteps, and again, for the record, I have no intention of competing in world-class cycling. So, why did i need this? As you know, chemotherapy works (generally speaking) by attacking cells that grow quickly, and can lower the growth of those cells.  Red blood cells are produced  in the bone marrow and they grow rapidly, so chemo can compromise the body's ability to manufacture them.  A healthy range of hemoglobin (one of the components of red blood cells) is 12--15.5 for women; lower than 8 is cause for concern.   My count on Valentine's Day was only 7, so, Dr S and team were appropriately concerned, and ordered a blood-fusion pronto.

While I can think of things I'd rather do on a Saturday, the blood-fusion wasn't actually so bad.  Kind of like chemo--it sounds really horrible, when in fact you pretty much just sit there.  For a long time.  Like 6 hours. (I have already been challenged on the amount of time this took by friend M, another healthcare lawyer, who claimed that I may be exaggerating,, as an earlier blog post said 5 hours, and in person at a bar in Cambridge on Sunday night, I mentioned it was 6 or more . . ).  Thank you friend M, for reading and listening to me so carefully!  Thanks also for arranging that meeting for today, so I can now say "I went to Harvard Law School" (for 1 day).  :) But I digress.

Unlike my chemo, the blood-fsion took place at a hospital, in a private room.  I was extremely well-taken care of by BFF D (aka artist/creator of the 'Sunbreast" painting on my blog header), as well as Nurse Ron (N-Ron), and Pefect Husband (Ph).

Since Ph was out of town Saturday morning, BFF D picked me up at my house, a huge anxiety-minimizer, as I am not good in the morning, and likely to just go back to sleep rather than get anywhere at 8:30 in the morning.  We got Starbucks (coffee, breakfast, AND lunch for me), and she stayed with me through several hours of blood-fusion.  BFF D is a Jewish mother (as am I, so I can say that)--and was extreemly attentive and responsive to my requests such as--"can you get me a pen?", and  "I dropped the pen, can you pick it up for me?"  "Can you get me some ice, my mouth really hurts.  (Note that recent, severe mouth/jaw pain is a separate but parallel issue, to be addressed in a later post) BFF D created a great little ice bag using surgical gloves--it was the perfect size, shape & flexibility!

To explain these requests a bit, I was very well, yet tentatively positioned, with blood bags/catheter leading into the port in my chest; pillow folded perfectly behind my back; Ipad balanced on my lap; and ice/surgical glove-pack on my neck/jaw.  So of course I couldn't pick up my own pen! N-ron observed one of these requests being addressed and said, "Now I get the Diva part." Perceptive, that guy. 

Perhaps I learned a bit of Diva-like behavior from my Great Aunt S, the NY artist who was tres sophisticated.  Great Aunt S had polio as a child; resulting in the complete loss of movement of one of her arms, as well as a limp in her gait.  The family pulled together to send her to college (the only girl that did so), thinking she might not marry or have a man take care of her due to her condition.  Great Aunt S was expert at holding court, and directing those around her as to what to do, what food to take out of the fridge, what plate to put it on, how to arrange it, where to put the flowers.  It was a joy to be around her and follow her directives.  And, in fact Great Aunt S had more husbands & boyfriends than anyone.  Great Aunt S rocked! 

Back to me, Diva junior.  After BFF D left, I actually took a nap, for almost 2 hours. In fact N-ron brought me a heated blanket and didn't tease me at all.  Ph showed up to take me home, my body chock full of red blood cells. (I wonder how much those blood cells weigh??)

Thank you BFF D, N-Ron, and Ph. And thanks to so many of you for your kind words and sending of good karma.  It means so much to me.

Stay tuned for my next update:  SCANCAKES !!