Give Blood

Hi everyone.

The blood transfusion went fine and was uneventful for the most part. Dave was so weak this morning I had to wheel him in and out of the cancer clinic. We asked the nurse how long it takes to kick in, and she said that it's usually a day or two but that he might start feeling a little better even by the evening. (She said that some people insist that they feel better right away, but she thought it might just be in their heads.)

I'm going to share this next part that is a little depressing and still makes me mad. I asked to speak with the oncologist, because she didn't call me back on Wednesday to discuss the blood tests like she said she would, and I had questions. She made the time to come and see us and answered my questions as best she could. (Like many medical conditions, doctors aren't always sure why things are caused and make their best guess.) She felt the anemia is likely caused by a number of factors and referred to it as 'Anemia of Chronic Disease'. She also said that if the low hemoglobin count was the cause of Dave's fatigue and weakness, that he should feel better in one or two days. And if he didn't, then the cause is something else - namely the cancer specifically. I asked if it could be caused by the chemo drugs he was on, and she said not at this point - that they're out of your system in 4 weeks. Quite frankly, I don't buy it and strongly feel that chemo is at least partly responsible for the anemia. (All 3 chemo meds he was on (cisplatin, epirubicin, & 5FU) are known to cause anemia, with the cisplatin (a platinum based agent) being the worst. I don't believe the body can recover in 4 weeks.)

Here's where it gets depressing. Again. On our visit last Wednesday, she pushed the need for Dave to get his affairs in order - which has already been drilled into us by the other 3 doctors we've already seen at the cancer clinic during our early visits back in December. Then she briefly explained how to access a palliative bed in one of the hospitals and then said we'd need to decide if he wanted a DNR (do not resuscitate) order or not when admitted. We sat there a little stunned again, thanked her for her time, and tried not to cry when she walked away. At this point I'm feeling the need to say that we'd just like some medical attention without the constant reminder that they think he's going to die. We get it already! THEY can't cure his cancer. We still believe that Hope is a pretty powerful medicine and apparently they're not willing to prescribe that med. Thankfully our Hope isn't in men, but in God.

We got home just after 3pm and the afternoon's steady onslaught of thunderstorms seemed to mirror our mood. Thank God for silver linings! Storms always pass and we seem to get over these depressing hospital visits a little more quickly each time.

This evening Dave said he wasn't feeling like Superman yet and was wondering who's blood he had received. I think he is feeling a little better and we'll see what Tuesday and Wednesday hold.

Keep prayin'!

Val