What Not To Do.

Well, I'm home, and doing much better. I'm not sure who has heard what, and so I will tell it here so everyone is on the same page. All week last week I had been very tired despite getting to bed quite early at 9:30 to 10pm. (Trust me that's early compared to my usual midnight or later) Then Will wasn't feeling well on Sunday and had the chills and such. Well then I got the chills Monday and Tuesday, and just felt a little achy all over. SO I thought I would call in to work, and take the day off on Wednesday. Darn good thing I did. I woke up, and felt just fine. Got the kids dressed and ready fr school and took them. I then got home, and put away a load of laundry, and put another load in. I then came upstairs, and sat down for a min. since I felt a little light headed. I then had to go to the bathroom, so I figured I would do that, and then make myself some breakfast. I sat down, did my business, and then my chest got tight, I got the hot flash of all hot flashes, and then my head started to spin. Next thing I know is I'm being licked to death by our German Shepherd Rommel as I'm now lying on the floor with all my legs and arms tingling and feeling so heavy. I have no clue how long I was passed out for, but I guess it was a little bit. SO I went to get up, and send Will an Email telling him to come home. I then passed out again. After coming to again, I figured it was a bad idea to stand, so I pulled my laptop to the floor, and managed to Email Will. He came home to find me sprawled on the floor again, phone in hand, and not really coherent. So he took me to the ER. They did some tests, gave me fluid and was going to send me home on Iron pills, since my hemoglobin and iron was really low. I was still light headed, and couldn't stand for longer than a few seconds before I wanted to pass out again. But the Dr's assured me that after a rest, and a few Iron pills I'd be ok. By this time we had spent all morning and afternoon in the ER. Will had to go pick up the kids from school. While he was doing that I was being discharged. The Nurse told me I could wait in the room till Will got back so he could help me to the car. I said ok. I then had to go to the bathroom, since they just pumped me full of two bags of saline. Again I had another black out session. This time I pulled the emergency cord as I was falling to the floor. The Dr's came in looked at me, then looked at the toilet, and told me I was going nowhere but the ICU. Apparently there was blood everywhere. So they admitted me to ICU, checked my blood levels again, and found that instead of being at a 8.1 hemoglobin count, I was now at a 7.1. Just for you all who don't know what the numbers mean, since I didn't, normal is about an 11-12, anything under an 8 they like to do transfusions. SO I immediately got two blood transfusions, and was still continuously bleeding from places I shouldn't be bleeding. The Dr's decided that with as much blood as I have lost, and with the transfusions not bringing it up as much as they would like, they put me under anaesthesia and did an endoscopy. Nothing, except a small little ulcer where my stoma is (where my new stomach from the gastric bypass surgery and my intestine was connected). But the ulcer they felt didn't account for so much blood. So they decided to immediately start me on a flush, and a few hours later did a colonoscopy. Laying in my hospital bed waiting to be put under again to have the procedure done, I felt like I shouldn't have been there. All the other patients going in and coming out were all older than 70. I looked way out of place. Anyway, they found nothing there either. I was clean. So at this point it's been 48 hours, and the bleeding has now stopped, or at least my levels had stopped dropping again. SO then they felt I was stable enuf to go to the normal hospital rooms, and so I was moved. The Dr's then decided that I must have been bleeding internally from that ulcer all week, and then it finally all came out, and stopped bleeding. Or at least that's one theory. They really wanted to do another test on me where they "tag" my blood cells and see where they are leaking out, but I had stopped bleeding, so you can't do that test if your not actively bleeding. So anyway they sent me home today with a whole lotta pills and medications to take. My hemoglobin levels are still at a 7.8 and my blood pressure is still stable at about 94/52. I'm just tired, and dizzy at times, but other than that I'm ok. I am now though having to take five different medications for the next six to eight months till my Iron and Hemoglobin levels are back in the normal range. At least that how long the Dr's say it will take. But I am fine, and able to be home with my family again. I really missed them. Will did a great job as a Single Dad and I appreciate him. I'm just grateful it was a bleed instead of a full blown heart attack, which is what I thought it was at first. Good thing I took the day off of work. Could you imagine that happening in the middle of Creighton School (which is where I work). How embarrassing.