Just Lie Still for Six Hours...

 I don't like IV's.

Yeah, I know.  Who likes them? But seriously, having something sharp poking into the crook of your elbow makes it impossible to get comfortable.  Especially when they do it to both arms and then let you know it's going to be three to six hours so "just lie back and try to rest." Right.  Especially impossible when someone in the curtained-off room across from you pretty much screams and moans in pain (claiming the pain level is at a 10-- and even continues to cry after given fentanyl) for pretty much the entire three to six hours.  Relaxing!

Yes, my health took a minor dumpster dive and I got to have the fun of two ER visits in less than a week. Minor because ultimately I'm fine and more or less functioning OK (even if the mystery chest pain is still hanging around with no sign of abating).  The need for a blood transfusion was a surprise-- to everyone, including my doctor and the triage nurses at the ER-- because though I'd been exhausted for awhile ( a two month long super heavy period will do that to you), all my other numbers looked fine: my blood pressure, my oxygen levels, the color in my face.  My ability to hold a normal conversation and walk into the ER just fine.  I'd finally bitten the bullet and made an appointment to do something about the never-ending period, and the doctor had scheduled an ultrasound and drew my blood for an anemia check, though she didn't seem too worried about it (just asked me to start taking some iron). But when the results came back in the next day, apparently they were drastically low.  I got an 8pm call, text and health app message telling me to call my doctor ASAP. When I did, she ordered me to head off to the ER right that minute and get a transfusion.

Say what?

I argued a bit-- "I'm tired but things don't seem that dire" and she fired back, "It's your choice but you could faint at any moment, or worse, have a heart attack." Um, OK.  Luckily Terence was off that night so he drove me over to the nearest hospital.  The triage nurse and the doctor who reviewed my vitals (via zoom or whatever the doctors use) suspected at first that there had been a lab error in my blood test.  So the first order was to repeat my blood test, which came back (surprise!) with even lower hemoglobin results than the test the day before.  So, yep, then it was double-IV time and two units of blood.  They also did a very in-depth ultrasound-- which was not fun at all, not at 1:00am with a too-full bladder, needles in my arms and and hips propped up to an uncomfortable angle. It was definitely a grit-my-teeth-and-bear-it and hope I can last just one more minute kind of experience.

Two days later I sat in an office with the doctor while she explained that I have numerous small fibroids that are probably making me bleed non-stop.  In the past they would have just gone straight to full hysterectomy but we are trying to avoid that.  So the next step in the process is to try one of those fancy newish prescriptions (you know, one of those meds that runs commercials on daytime TV and lists so many side effects you wonder why anyone would take them in the first place).  My insurance approved the drug for six months, and here I am, taking it twice a day despite the likely side effects because the alternative is worse. :) At the moment my bleeding is very light, but if it gets heavy again and lasts longer than a week I will probably need another blood transfusion.  Hopefully these meds work as promised, and work quickly!

The second ER visit came because a couple of days after the blood transfusion I started having chest pain.  It's very localized-- just a smidge left of the center of my chest, an ache that just won't go away.  It's a dull pain-- and sometimes a tightness-- and sometimes it's hard for me to draw a full breath.  So.  All my discharge paperwork for the transfusion insisted that chest pain was a go right back into the ER situation.  It took me two more days to decide that it wasn't all in my head and it wasn't going away so perhaps I should.  I had a gazillion tests (OK, maybe a few less than that) and they couldn't find any sign of a heart attack.  Or covid or the flu.  Or anything on the chest x-ray that might indicate a problem. Blood results looked OK (my hemoglobin is up to a 9, so low but significantly better than pre-transfusion). In the end the ER doc said I need to follow up because there could be signs of heart disease or something else that they can't see.

Ugh. More doctor appointments in my future. After all that I vowed to Terence I was done, period, no more. I don't need more specialists telling me they don't see anything wrong, and our medical costs for the year are skyrocketing.  Probably the chest pain is anxiety or hormone related.  Right????

*sigh*

I do have a follow up with my new PCP this week to catch her up to speed on everything.  I guess if she insists on more tests I probably won't fight it.  But I don't have to like it.

At least we have almost made it to the end of the school year!!  Hallelujah for that!