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7 May 2014
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
No doubt, I have turned a corner from my bout with
pneumonia. My strength has returned, I am sleeping (a lot, I might add), I have
put on weight, and I am getting back to a regular routine.
So it came as a bit of surprise when I saw Dr. Zu on
Tuesday, May 6, 2014, for my monthly appointment and shot, to find out that my
blood levels are way off. While my white blood cell count is stable, my red
blood cell count (and all the measures that make up that count) have shown a
steady decline over the last two to three months. With Dr. Zu’s vacation, my
bout with pneumonia, and my subsequent, brief hospitalization last month, I
haven’t actually seen Zu for a routine appointment since February
.
Needless to say, this is not the news I expected nor wanted
after a tough few months – and just when I was starting to feel better. Dr. Zu’s
primary concern is the source of my anemia. In his words, my RBC suggests that I
have lost the equivalent of 2 – 3 liters of blood over the last several months.
We have to isolate the source of the bleeding. Because I haven’t had any
external signs of bleeding (yes, I know my color has been “off”), he believes
that the source may be somewhere in my GI tract.
What does this mean? For starters, I will be taking an iron supplement
three times a day. Second, it means additional blood work. And to top it off,
it means both a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. Not the light at the end of the
tunnel I was expecting – a scope! Lucky me! Of course, these tests will also help
to rule out bleeding as the source of my anemia. It is possible that with the
medication I take regularly that something is just “off” and we will need to
isolate what that is.
While we are not happy with these developments, we recognize
the diligence in finding the source of my anemia. As Christine always reminds
me: we won’t worry unless we have something to worry about.
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement.
I will keep you posted.
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