Monday, August 27, 2007

Some surprising news

I went to see my hematologist today, expecting we'd have our usual sparring match and I'd come away with a mammogram order, since it's that time of the year.

Instead I found out my iron is dangerously low - it's been low for the last five years actually, since I had a huge retroperitoneal bleed and an enormous deep vein thrombosis and was in the hospital for 21 days, 8 in ICU. It's been particularly low for at least the last year - I saw Dr. Spivak up at Hopkins on 8/29/2006 and he was concerned enough to put me on RX iron supplements. Unfortunately the one he wanted me to take is made anymore so Dr. Deluca gave me something else called Repliva but that made me so sick I couldn't keep taking it.

In March we talked about IV iron, 400 mls, but the doctor decided my veins can't handle it so I've been trying to eat a lot of red meat and other foods high in iron since then. Well my iron dropped enough that now I need about 650 mls and there's no discussion of whether I want it or not, I'm getting it.

But I can't just have it. I have to have a PICC line inserted (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PICC_line) which means some outpatient surgery first then we have to do a test dose of iron because many people are allergic and I'm an allergic person and have anaphylactic shock in the past (thankfully in my pediatrician's office so was given lots of epinephrine and bundled off in an ambulance, but not before I passed out thinking this was it, I was dead.)

I might be getting some steroids along with the iron as a protective measure. We'll see. And it looks like I'll be getting about 100 mls a day, which I think takes about 2 hours. And they want to do it right away so I'm a bit anxious (read terrified) and trying to think of practical things like they can do the surgery when I'm on the warfarin and will I be sedated and do I need a ride to the hospital and if so who can take me?

Meanwhile Cam starts 10th grade tomorrow and Cullen starts UMBC on Wedneday and I'm meant to drive him on Tuesdays and Thursdays and it's all a little overwhelming...

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