Medicine 101: Try To Be Silly Sometimes
One of the team doctors dropped by this morning to see how I was doing, to which I was able to say I’m doing okay at the moment. Waiting, patiently, for the week to go by. He reassured me to not worry about it if I happen to develop a fever because of my way-low white cell count weakening my immune system. It’s all normal, and if it happens they’ll just handle it with antibiotics and fluids and make it pass.
Later in the day, the team lead doctor along with the morning team member came by for a really brief check-up.
“Are you behaving?” she asked with a smile.
“Of course!” I replied. “I haven’t been scolded by a nurse in days.”
Platelets, you scorn me so
Yesterday we noticed a little bruise to the right of my belly button, and I could feel a little bump underneath it. We asked for a nurse to check it out, and after a quick examination she explained it wasn’t something to worry about. My low platelets count meant when they gave me my daily growth stimulating hormone shot the evening before, it bled a little bit just under the outermost layers of skin. Looking today, the other side didn’t get one from last night’s shot. Nor did the one I got this afternoon. Not that I’m focusing on it…this is just a variant on the whole boredom + belly-button lint thing bad comedians try to use. 😉
This afternoon I got a new bag ‘o platelets. (Count down this morning from 20 to 13). Fingers crossed!
Skype Lego advertising
Tonight before their bedtime Patrick gave me a great display of a new set of Star Wars Lego (his crack addiction) which he’d received from my amazing Aunts. It was all built, the ship and its crew of four. I asked him if he could set it up on the table in the same layout as what appears on the front of the box. (“It does what it says on the tin” is a phrase you hear in Ireland all the time.)
The next 10-15 minutes were spent getting this ready while Elana and I got to chat. We’re a couple of days apart because she’s not going to be able to get into the hospital until Wednesday; real life is getting in the way. Our car needed to prepped/cleaned today and will go through its National Car Test tomorrow (Tuesday). This is kind of like a car inspection in the US, but costs more and has little purpose except to make lots of money. Arguments are made in support of it, claiming it keeps defective cars off the road. I feel the frequency of the tests, though, undercuts that particular argument a bit.
Blood thirst at night
Today I’m getting two blood transfusions, the first of them again starting around 6pm and going for 3 hours. So my blood party will be done somewhere around midnight, give or take. (My count, which they want over 9.0, was at 8.4 this morning.) I wonder why they a) order them so late, or, if not that, b) get here from the blood bank in the early evening, shortly before dusk?
It still seems to be a seed for an Anne Rice knock-off.
