I kept getting tireder and tireder. I had to stop and rest at the top of the stairs. When my regularly scheduled tests were complete, the clinic called me and said my Hemoglobin A1C (I think it was) was so low, Medicare would pay for a blood transfusion. I decided to go ahead and have it done because it wasn't a treatment so much as a quality of life issue.
Trust me, spending several hours watching blood ooze oh-so-slowly into your arm is not a way you'd care to spend a day. I had my Kindle but there is no book so absorbing that you want to sit and read it for hours on end without getting up.
I'd cross my legs one way, then cross them the other way. I'd put the recliner up and then put it down. I sat Indian-fashion for a while even though it hurt my knees. I leaped at the chance to go to the bathroom, intravenous pole trailing along behind, for the opportunity to leave my chair for a few minutes.
"I'm walking across the room, isn't it fun!"
I was thrilled when the kitchen sent me a tray. Eating was something interesting to do! I chewed slowly to make it last as long as I could. I savored every last shred of carrot even though I don't like raw carrots.
The only thing that made the day bearable is how wonderful the staff at the Wabash Parkview Hospital Oncology Department are. My nurse, Debbie, was a sweetheart. For one thing, she's so skilled at what she does, she made the whole process absolutely painless. She'd stop and chat with me whenever she could to help me kill a little time. She offered to get me cookies or a drink.
We joked about whose blood I hoped I got. I first said a NASCAR driver, then changed my mind to a pirate. Everyone who reads my blogs and posts knows I have a thing for pirates. (Especially if they look like Johnny Depp). I figured a jolt of pirate blood was just what I needed.
Finally, it was over and I came home exhausted....and woke up the next day feeling as if I could set the world on fire. I probably pushed it a little too hard just because I could but it felt so satisfying to be able to do things I hadn't been able to do.
Blood is like Miracle-Go for humans...afterwards, your stem feels stronger and your blossom feels brighter. So if you're bone-weary all the time and your doctor recommends a transfusion, I highly recommend it - just make sure you get pirate blood.
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