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To facepalm, or not to facepalm?
Mar. 9th, 2013 10:25 amSo I'm not as recovered as I'd hoped. I tried to go to work yesterday, and made it about an hour and a half before I got too tired and dizzy to keep going. So, because work is still insane and demands a doctor's note for every absense (and because the meds I'm on cause increased risk of clots and other funny things), back to the urgent care department of the hospital I go.
Thankfully, I saw the same doctor as last time, which was good for 2 reasons. 1) I didn't have to explain the situation from the beginning, and 2) she was the one who made a mistake in doubting me last time and let me go before she discovered that I was severely anemic. She didn't make the same mistake again this time.
A month ago, my hemoglobin levels were at 70. They've improved. They're not 73.5. Oooh! So I was pretty much right in that the few massively heavy days of bleeding that I've done lately undid what I'd worked for about a month to recover from. Sigh.
So I have a note for 2 days off, tomorrow and Monday are supposed to be my days off normally anyway, and orders to go back and see my family doctor for a follow-up, because they can't make long-term recommendations at the urgent care clinic. So now on Monday I have more blood tests plus a doctor's appointment, during which I'm going to discuss with him the possibility of more time off work.
On April 5, I have a minor surgery scheduled, one that's hopefully going to put a stop to all this, but that will leave me bleeding pretty badly for a couple of days anyway, and that can't be avoided. So one way of the other, no matter whether my doctor recommends a transfusion or another month of rest, I really have to bust my butt getting my hemoglobin levels up so that I can get through the procedure with as few complications as necessary.
I'm trying to look at the procedure as a win-win for me. They're going to insert an IUD, which usually cuts down on the bleeding drastically, and Dr. S thinks that we should be able to get at least a 50% reduction in how much and how long I bleed. She's also going to do a D&C (dilation and curettage), which is a fancy way of saying she'll be cutting a lot of the lining from my uterus so that it's as thin as it can be so that the IUD can work better. That's what'll be causing a lot of the bleeding, because the lining will be so unstable and bits will keep shedding even after she's done cutting, so I'll be off work for a few days even after the procedure anyway (another reason to talk to my doctor about additional time off).
But Dr. S has even admitted flat out that if this doesn't work, the next step is surgery. Normally she's go for injections of depo-provera, but since one of my concerns with the IUD is the increased risk of depression, she's going to skip that step because that could be worse for me in the long run. So if the IUD doesn't work, the next step is to remove that damned organ all together.
So it's a win-win. The IUD would need to be replaced every 5 years, but at least it could make my life manageable again. And if it doesn't, then I get to start seriously talking to her about a hysterectomy without her saying, "But you may want babies someday, so we don't want to do this." (Gag...)
So for another few days I've got time to rest again, and after that, who knows? I might be off for another month, or I might be hooked up to an IV with someone else's kindness flowing into my veins. I don't want to do a transfusion unless it's necessary, mind. I can't get the thought out of my head that I'm not going to die from this, but the car accident victim might if they don't get the blood that I just took. On the other hand, I've already been out of work for a month, and another month would really put a strain on finances. I could do it, with my tax return, but it would be a stretch. But resting is awfully nice, allows me to get better in my own time without feeling rushed or paranoid if I happen to feel sick one day.
But we'll see what Dr. K says on Monday. No sense in worrying about it yet. That'll just make me lose sleep, and I've already had enough trouble getting rest lately. :/
Thankfully, I saw the same doctor as last time, which was good for 2 reasons. 1) I didn't have to explain the situation from the beginning, and 2) she was the one who made a mistake in doubting me last time and let me go before she discovered that I was severely anemic. She didn't make the same mistake again this time.
A month ago, my hemoglobin levels were at 70. They've improved. They're not 73.5. Oooh! So I was pretty much right in that the few massively heavy days of bleeding that I've done lately undid what I'd worked for about a month to recover from. Sigh.
So I have a note for 2 days off, tomorrow and Monday are supposed to be my days off normally anyway, and orders to go back and see my family doctor for a follow-up, because they can't make long-term recommendations at the urgent care clinic. So now on Monday I have more blood tests plus a doctor's appointment, during which I'm going to discuss with him the possibility of more time off work.
On April 5, I have a minor surgery scheduled, one that's hopefully going to put a stop to all this, but that will leave me bleeding pretty badly for a couple of days anyway, and that can't be avoided. So one way of the other, no matter whether my doctor recommends a transfusion or another month of rest, I really have to bust my butt getting my hemoglobin levels up so that I can get through the procedure with as few complications as necessary.
I'm trying to look at the procedure as a win-win for me. They're going to insert an IUD, which usually cuts down on the bleeding drastically, and Dr. S thinks that we should be able to get at least a 50% reduction in how much and how long I bleed. She's also going to do a D&C (dilation and curettage), which is a fancy way of saying she'll be cutting a lot of the lining from my uterus so that it's as thin as it can be so that the IUD can work better. That's what'll be causing a lot of the bleeding, because the lining will be so unstable and bits will keep shedding even after she's done cutting, so I'll be off work for a few days even after the procedure anyway (another reason to talk to my doctor about additional time off).
But Dr. S has even admitted flat out that if this doesn't work, the next step is surgery. Normally she's go for injections of depo-provera, but since one of my concerns with the IUD is the increased risk of depression, she's going to skip that step because that could be worse for me in the long run. So if the IUD doesn't work, the next step is to remove that damned organ all together.
So it's a win-win. The IUD would need to be replaced every 5 years, but at least it could make my life manageable again. And if it doesn't, then I get to start seriously talking to her about a hysterectomy without her saying, "But you may want babies someday, so we don't want to do this." (Gag...)
So for another few days I've got time to rest again, and after that, who knows? I might be off for another month, or I might be hooked up to an IV with someone else's kindness flowing into my veins. I don't want to do a transfusion unless it's necessary, mind. I can't get the thought out of my head that I'm not going to die from this, but the car accident victim might if they don't get the blood that I just took. On the other hand, I've already been out of work for a month, and another month would really put a strain on finances. I could do it, with my tax return, but it would be a stretch. But resting is awfully nice, allows me to get better in my own time without feeling rushed or paranoid if I happen to feel sick one day.
But we'll see what Dr. K says on Monday. No sense in worrying about it yet. That'll just make me lose sleep, and I've already had enough trouble getting rest lately. :/