ON MARCH 13, 2009 (FRIDAY THE 13TH NO LESS) I WENT IN FOR ROUTINE BLOOD WORK AT MY DOCTORS. THEY CALLED ME BACK AND SAID THAT I NEEDED TO COME BACK ON MONDAY THE 16TH SO THEY CAN REDRAW MY BLOOD WORK. SO LIKE A GOOD GIRL I WENT, THEY DREW MY BLOOD AND BY THE TIME I GOT HOME THEY CALLED AND SAID THEY NEEDED TO MAKE ME AN APPOINTMENT WITH A HEMATOLOGIST BECAUSE MY PLATELETS WERE LOW. I SAID OK THAT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY I HAVE BEEN HAVING MY PERIOD FOR TWO WEEKS. I INFORMED THE NURSE THAT I AM GOING TO BE LEAVING FOR MY CRUISE AND WILL BE GONE APRIL 4TH TO APRIL 9TH SO ANYTIME BEFORE OR AFTER THAT WILL BE GREAT. SHE CALLED ME BACK AND SAID THAT MY APPOINTMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 14TH. SO I'M LIKE GREAT IT'S A MONTH AWAY IT CAN'T BE THAT SERIOUS. NOW IT IS TIME TO GET INTO CRUISE MODE. GONNA BE HANGING WITH MY LA CASA FAMILY IN MEXICO, GETTING DRUNK, SEEING THE SIGHTS, EVERYTHING THAT I WANT TO DO.
BOY COULD THAT HAVE BEEN ANY FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. ON MARCH 29TH MY PERIOD STARTS AND ON APRIL 1ST I START NOTICING LITTLE PURPLE SPOTS ON MY RIGHT FORE ARM. NOW I LOVE TO RESEARCH THINGS, SO WHEN THEY TOLD ME MY PLATELET COUNT WAS LOW I LOOKED IT UP TO FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANT AND WHAT TREATMENT WAS AVAILABLE. LOW PLATELET COUNT IS ALSO KNOW AS IDIOPATHIC THROMBOCYTOPENIA PURPURA OR ITP. WHEN YOUR PLATELET COUNT DROPS BELOW 10,000 YOU DELEVOP PURPLE SPOTS KNOWS AS PETECHIAE PRONOUNCED (PEH-TEE-KEE-AY). SO I JUST WENT ON ABOUT MY BUSINESS NO CARE IN THE WORLD. THEN THE NEXT DAY ON THE 2ND I WOKE UP WENT TO WALMART TO FINISH BUYING SOMETHINGS FOR THE CRUISE SINCE THE TRIP WAS IN TWO DAYS. WENT TO LA CASA CIGAR SHOPPE TO HANG OUT WITH CHARLES, I FELT FINE. THEN HE LOOKS AT ME AND SAYS I THINK YOU NEED TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR. I WAS LIKE WHY? SO THEN HE TELLS ME THAT MY WHOLE FACE IS COVERED WITH PURPLE SPOTS. SO I LOOKED AT MY ARMS AND THEY WERE EVERYWHERE.
SO I CALLED THE DOCTOR AT 11:00 AM AND TOLD THE RECEPTIONIST WHAT WAS GOING ON AND SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD HAVE THE NURSE CALL ME BACK. THE NURSE CALLED ME BACK AT 4:00 PM AND SAID WHAT DID YOU EAT THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE RASH? I SAID NO IT IS NOT A RASH I HAVE ITP AND SERVE PETECHIAE. SO SHE GOES OK COME IN TOMORROW MORNING AND WE WILL DRAW BLOOD AND HUNG UP. SO I STARTED THINKING SATURDAY I AM LEAVING FOR MY CRUISE SO IF I HAVE TO HAVE ANY TEST OR GET MEDICATIONS I SHOULD GO IN TODAY. SO I CALLED THEM BACK AND THEY SAID COME ON IN WE WILL SQUEEZE YOU IN. SO I GET THERE, CHECK IN AND GO USE THE BATHROOM. WHEN I BUTTONING MY PANTS I GET A SHARP PAIN ON MY LOWER LEFT PART OF MY STOMACH. SO I LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND I HAVE A HUGE BRUISE ON MY STOMACH. NOW I DID GO TO WALMART BUT I DO NOT REMEMBER HITTING ANYTHING AND I SIT AT A CIGAR SHOP ALL DAY SO WHERE IN THE HELL DID THIS COME FROM.
THE LAB DRAWS MY BLOOD AND TELLS ME TO SIT IN THIS ROOM THE DOCTOR WANTS TO SEE ME. I CLOSE MY EYES LEAN MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALL AND WAIT. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I FEEL SOMETHING WET ON MY ARM. I LOOK DOWN AND THERE IS BLOOD STREAMING DOWN MY ARM. SO I WENT BACK TO THE LAB AND ASKED FOR ANOTHER BAND AID THEN WENT BACK TO MY ROOM. THE DOCTOR COMES IN AND SAYS YOUR SCARING ME DORIENNE WHATS GOING ON. SO I SHOWED MY BRUISE AND ALL MY PURPLE SPOTS, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE NURSE COMES RUSHING IN AND SAYS YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THIS. THE DOCTORS MOUTH LITERALLY FELL OPEN AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID. SWEETIE THERE WILL BE NO CRUISE FOR YOU I HAVE TO ADMIT YOU RIGHT NOW BECAUSE YOUR PLATELET COUNT IS 1,000. I SAID OK I HAVE 1,000 PLATELETS. HE SAYS TO ME ON THE 13TH YOU HAD 4,000, ON THE 16TH YOU HAD 2,400, NOW YOU HAVE A 1,000. HE THEN TELLS ME THAT A NORMAL COUNT IS 140,000 TO 400,000 YOU ONLY HAVE 1,000.
I SAID OK... I CALLED MIKE WHO IS IN LAFAYETTE FOR WORK, I CALLED CHARLES AND TOLD HIM DON'T TELL ANYONE THAT I AM BEING ADMITTED BECASUE I STILL HAD HOPE THAT I WOULD BE ON THAT CRUISE TO MEXICO. I TOLD THE DOCTOR GIVE ME MY ORDERS AND I WILL WALK DOWN TO ADMIT. HE GOES OH NO YOU CAN NOT WALK. YOU MIGHT FALL AND BLEED OUT. MY RESPONSE WAS I DROVE HERE AND WALK TO YOUR OFFICE; I CAN WALK TO ADMIT. HE THEN TELLS ME NO YOU ARE A DELICATE FLOWER AND MUST BE TREATED AS SUCH. I LOOKED AT THAT MAN AND SAID DO YOU KNOW WHO THE **** I AM? I AM NO DELICATE FLOWER. HE SAID TODAY YOU ARE. HE GIVES ME A HUGH DOSE OF STERIODS IN MY ***, GETS A WHEELCHAIR AND WHEELS ME TO THE ER. THEY RUSH ME BACK TO A ROOM AND MY NURSE COMES IN AND SAYS TO ME WE HAVE NEVER HAD A PERSON COME THROUGH HERE WITH 1,000 PATELETS AND THE MEDICINE THAT WE NEED TO START YOU ON WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ADMINISTER IT. WE NEED TO LOOK IT UP.
SO AFTER AWHILE I HEAR A KNOCK ON MY WALL AND I LOOK UP AND IT IS ONE OF MY FRIENDS MONICA. AND MY RESPONSE WAS I DIDN'T CALL YOU HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS HERE? SHE SAYS DON'T GET MAD JAMES WENT TO THE SHOP TO GET CIGARS FOR THE CRUISE AND CHARLES TOLD HIM THAT YOU WERE BEING ADMITTED IN THE ER. SO I ASKED WHERE IS JAMES THEN. SHE GOES ON THE WAY HERE HE WAS REAR ENDED AT A RED LIGHT SO NOW HE IS COMING THROUGH THE ER HIMSELF. HE CAME BACK TO SEE ME AND SAYS THIS IS THE LAST TIME I AM COMING TO SEE YOU, YOU ALMOST GOT ME KILLED. THEN HE TELLS ME THAT I LOOK LIKE PEPERMINT PATTY BECAUSE OF THE SPOTS ON MY FACE. SO AT MIDNIGHT THEY GOT ME A ROOM ON THE 8TH FLOOR GAVE ME MY SLEEPING PILL AND I WENT TO BED.
THE NEXT MORNING THE HEMATOLOGIST COMES IN AND SAYS THAT MY PLATELET COUNT IS UP TO 21,000 AND THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE SCHEDULING ME FOR A BONE MARROW BIOPSY FOR MONDAY MORNING. SO ENJOY MY WEEKEND HERE AT THE HOSPITAL AND THERE IS NO CRUISE FOR ME. SATURDAY MORNING COMES THE DOCTOR TELLS ME THE PLATELETS DROP BACK DOWN TO 2,000. I SAID HEY ITS BETTER THEN A 1,000. HIS RESPONSE WAS YES BUT YOU CAN NOT GET OUT OF BED UNLESS IT IS TO THE BATHROOM AND BACK, YOU CAN'T SHOWER BECAUSE YOU MIGHT FALL. HE THEN TELLS ME THAT I CAN SPONTANEOUSLY BLEED INTO MY BRAIN, LUNGS, BLEED OUT FROM MY EYES, NOSE, EARS, GUMS, RECTUM, AND URETHRA. SO THEY UP MY ORAL STERIODS, GIVE ME AN INHALER WITH A HIGH DOSE OF STERIODS SO BLOOD DOES NOT GET IN MY LUNGS, START ME ON A IMMUNOSUPPRESANT SO MY IMMUNE SYSTEM DOES NOT ATTACK MY PLATELETS, START ME ON INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN, AND ORDER A ANA BLOOD TEST TO SEE IF I HAVE AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE LIKE LUPUS OR LUKEMIA.
MONDAY COMES AND MY PLATELETS ARE STILL AT 2,000 SO THE DEPARTMENT CANCELS MY BIOPSY BECAUSE I AM AT HIGH RISK OF BLEEDING. THE HEMATOLOGIST IS ****** SO IT IT SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY NOW. TUESDAY COMES AND I HAVE TWO STUDENT NURSES AS MY AIDS FOR THE DAY SO THEY COME DOWN TO WITNESS MY BIOPSY. I ROLL ON MY SIDE, THE DOCTOR TELLS THE NURSE TO SHOOT ME UP TO KNOCK ME OUT, THE DOCTOR NUMBS MY BACK LEFT HIP AND TELLS ME THAT I SHOULD BE STARTING TO FEEL THE EFFETS OF THE TWILIGHT MEDICATION. I SAID A LITTLE BUT I'M STILL AWAKE. HE TELLS HER TO SHOOT ME UP SOME MORE. NOW UNDERSTAND I AM HOLDING FULL CONVERSATIONS WITH EVERYONE IN THE ROOM WITH ME. HE SAYS SHOOT ME UP AGAIN AND I AM STILL AWAKE. HE SAYS SORRY DORIENNE BUT I NEED TO BEGIN YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL THIS. SO HE SHOVES THE NEEDLE INTO MY HIP AND I CAN FEEL THE NEEDLE GO INTO MY BONE AND I CAN FEEL HIM STARTING TO SUCK OUT THE BLOOD BECAUSE MY BODY IS SHAKING BACK AND FORTH. THEN HE SAYS I NOW HAVE TO REMOVE A PIECE OF BONE FROM YOUR HIP. HE TELLS THE NURSE SHOOT HER UP AGAIN. THIS TIME I STARTED TO TAKE IN DEEP BREATHS TO PREPARE FOR HIM TO REMOVE THE BONE. HE SAYS GOOD SHE IS FINALLY OUT. I SAID OH NO I AM STILL AWAKE. HE GOES OK HERE WE GO. SO I FEEL HIM TURNING THE NEEDLE BLADE AND IT STARTS FEELING LIKE WHITE HOT FIRE. HE THEN SAID AS I'M PUSHING YOU FORWARD I NEED YOU TO PUSH BACK INTO ME SO I CAN GET THE SAMPLE. FINALLY I FEEL HIM PULL AND I HEAR I LOUD POP. HE BANDAGES ME I ROLL OVER AND I SAID WHERE DID ONE OF THE STUDENT NURSES GO. THEY SAID OH SHE HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE SHE GOT SICK DURING THE PROCEDURE BECAUSE YOU WERE AWAKE AND TALKING THROUGH IT.
I SAID WOW WHEN YOU PULLED I HEARD THAT LOUD POP THROUGH MY BODY. HE GOES NO IT WAS THAT LOUD IN THE ROOM. HE GOES YOU MUST DRINK ALOT OF MILK BECAUSE IT WAS A ***** TO GET THAT BONE OUT. I DON'T THINK YOU WILL EVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING OSTEOPOROSIS. I LOOKED AT THE CLOCK AND THE PROCEDURE LASTED AN HOUR EXACTLY. THE NURSE SAID WE USUALLY HAVE TO KEEP A PATIENT FOR AN HOUR TO WAKE UP FROM THE MEDS BUT SINCE YOU NEVER WENT TO SLEEP WE ARE GOING TO SEND YOU BACK TO YOUR ROOM. AS SOON AS I GOT TO THE ROOM THE MEDS KICKED IN AND I WAS PASSED OUT FOR FOUR HOURS. SO THE NEXT DAY THE RESULTS COME BACK AND IT SHOWS THAT MY BODY IS MAKING PLATELETS SO MY BONE MARROW IS WORKING AS IT SHOULD BUT SOMETHING IS DESTROYING THEM. SO HE ORDERS MORE BLOOD TEST TO SEE WHAT ANTI-BODYS ARE DESTROYING THEM. THOSE RESULTS COME BACK AS NORMAL I HAVE NO ANTI-BODIES DESTROYING MY PLATELETS. MY AUTOIMMUNE BLOOD TEST COMES BACK BARELY POSITIVE SO THEY GET A THIRD DOCTOR WHO SPECIALIZES IN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE ON THE CASE. HE STARTS RUNNING BLOOD TEST TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE I HAVE. ALL OF HIS TEST COME BACK NEGATIVE I DO NOT HAVE AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE.
THEY DO A LIVER AND SPLEEN SCAN TO SEE IF MY PLATELETS ARE HIDING OUT THERE. THAT TEST COMES BACK NORMAL. THEY DO A PELVIC SCAN TO SEE IF I HAVE A TUMOR OR SOMETHING THAT IS CAUSING ME TO BLEED. THAT TEST TEST COMES BACK NORMAL. EVERYTHING THEY ARE TESTING IS COMING BACK NORMAL THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON. MY BODY SHOULD BE RESPONDING TO THE TREATMENT AND ITS NOT. MY PLATELETS ARE NOT GOING ABOVE 3,000. SO THE HEMATOLOGIST SAYS THAT THE ONLY TREATMENTS LEFT ARE TO GIVE ME MAN MADE PLATELETS, REMOVE MY SPLEEN EVEN THOUGH IT IS NORMAL, OR START CHEMOTHRAPY. HE HAS RUN OUT OF OPTIONS AND NOT SURE WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE. AT THIS TIME I HAVE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR TWO WEEKS EXACTLY. MY NIGHT NURSE COMES IN AND SAYS SAME ROUTINE SLEEPING PILL AT 10? I SAID YEP SEE YOU AT 10.
A LITTLE WHILE LATE MY NURSE COMES IN MY ROOM AND SAYS ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU WANT YOUR SLEEPING PILL? I SAID YES CAUSE WITHOUT IT I CAN'T SLEEP WHY? SHE THEN TELLS ME THAT ONE OF THE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS FROM IT IS ITP. MY JAW HIT THE FLOOR. I SAID I DO NOT WANT IT I WOULD RATHER NOT SLEEP. SO I STARTED THINKING IN LATE FEBRUARY I STARTED TAKING THAT PILL AND I HAVE BEEN TAKING IT EVER NIGHT SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE. EVERY TEST IS COMING BACK NORMAL, THEY DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER TO WHAT IS CAUSING THIS. I'M NOT BLEEDING ANYWHERE, WHEN THEY DRAW MY BLOOD I DON'T BLEED OUT. SO DURING THE DAY MY BODY IS MAKING PLATELETS. AT NIGHT I TAKE THE PILL AND IT KILLS THEM. OH MY GOD CAN IT BE THIS SIMPLE.
SO I TOLD THE HEMATOLOGIST OF ALL THIS AND HE GOES IN ALL MY YEARS OF BEING A DOCTOR I HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT PILL CAUSE THIS SERVE CASE OF ITP. MY RESPONSE WAS YOU DON'T KNOW ME OR MY BODY. HE TELLS ME JUST DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP. BUT HE REMOVES THE ORDER FOR MY SLEEPING PILL, INTERESTING. THE NEXT DAY MY PLATELETS JUMP UP TO 3,000, THE NEXT UP TO 4,000. THEN THE NEXT WENT BACK DOWN TO 1,000. IT WAS LIKE THE ****** STOCK MARKET EVERYDAY. I WAS DEVASTATED, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 19 DAYS I CRIED. TO ME ALL HOPE WAS LOST. THEN MY DOCTOR CAME IN AND I TOLD HIM PUT ME BACK ON THE SLEEPING PILL THAT WAS NOT IT AND I AM TIRED OF NOT SLEEPING. HE LOOKS AT ME AND SAYS IT TAKES A WHILE FOR IT TO LEAVE YOUR SYSTEM LETS JUST WAIT.
THEN ON DAY 20 THEY WERE UP TO 5,000. THAT IS THE HIGHEST IT HAS EVER BEEN SINCE I WAS I THERE. THEN ON DAY 21 THEY WERE 25,000. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. IT HAD TO BE A MISTAKE BUT IT WASN'T THEY WERE REALLY 25,000. THEN ON DAY 22 THEY DROPPED A LITTLE BUT IT WAS STILL 22,000. THEY SAID I COULD GO HOME WHEN THEY REACHED 20,000 AND STABLIZED. SO FOR TWO DAYS NOW THEY WERE ABOVE 20,000. MY DOCTOR CAME IN AND SAID I AM SENDING YOU HOME. FINALLY AFTER 22 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL I CAN GO HOME. BUT WITH HEAVY RESTRICTIONS AND I HAD TO GO BACK TO HAVE MY COUNT TESTED TODAY ON APRIL 27TH AND IF IT WAS LOW I WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE READMITTED. IF NOT WE WILL GO FROM THERE. HE WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE MY PERIOD STARTED AGAIN TODAY AND HE WAS NOT SURE HOW MY PLATELETS WERE GOING TO REACT. BUT I WENT IN AND THEY WERE AT 195,000. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. IT WAS THE SLEEPING PILLS.
WHAT CAME GOOD FROM ALL THIS IS THAT I LOST 20LBS IN THE HOSPITAL (YOU GOT TO LOVE HOSPITAL FOOD) EVEN ON ALL THESE STERIODS. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET OFF OF THEM. AND I KNOW EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT ME IS HEALTHY. I AM SO GLAD EVERYTHING TURNED OUT TO BE GOOD.
WHAT AN ORDEAL.....
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