The Dr takes a dive....

hubby had another Dr. appointment. This time with a hemotologist/oncologist. From what we learned at the GP with his last appointment this will be the best place to find out what's really going on with his blood. The specialist would be able to tell us what's going on with his blood, and IF he turns out having cancer then they would be able to handle that as well.

Well, we went in, our appointment was at 3 and as far as we knew it was basically just to draw blood. After an hour of having this Dr tell us information we already knew (how blood is made in the body and that many things can make a person anemic including pregnancy and breast feeding... REALLY? hmmm.... honey, we need to do that preg test to see if you are pregnant... We could really use the $$$ that would make when we sell the book and liscence the movie about the pregnant man that's really a MAN!) he did a short, 4 minute long physical on the husband. AND THEN! Then he tells us that their in house lab closed 3 minutes ago so we have to go to the hospital lab to get his blood drawn so they can do the tests! Come on! couldn't you have done the blood FIRST?!?!?!?

The one question my husband had for him was this: Since he has been on antacids for YEARS, 2 prevacid or prilosec a day, every day for the last 3 -4 years, could that have an impact as to how much iron is absorbed? The body only absorbs iron in about 1 foot of our intestine right where it attaches to our stomach after all. No where else is iron absorbtion happening. This is when he launched into how iron is absorbed, and that it doesn't happen in the stomach and blah, blah, blah. The one good thing he did say was that in March of 2010, hubby was NOT anemic. Now, 1 year later (almost) in February 2011, he is SEVERELY anemic. This is not normal, nor is it usual. And as severely anemic as he is, this may or may not lead to iron infusion, or even a blood transfusion if they can't find the cause.

Good news... He did get his blood drawn at the hospital! And they told us that they would have the results within 4 hours since none of the labs were ones that needed to be sent out. So, as I type this both his regular GP and the hemotologist/oncologist should have the results and sometime in their copious amounts of spare time I am sure they are going to look at these results and have more of an idea of what is going on in hubby's body.

I'll keep you posted!!

Newest of the new for hubby...

According to what the Dr. has told us, it very well may have been a TIA. The problem is that most TIA's, even if he was in the hospital when it happened, leave no lasting discrepencies that they would see on an MRI or a CAT scan. If it were a stroke, then there would be something, but she didn't think it was a full blown stroke because there was no residual effects. His smile was even, he had grip in both hands that was sufficient, he could touch his nose with his eyes closed with both hands evenly.....

The bad news is that he is extremely iron anemic. He's now taking 325 mg of iron TWICE per day to see if the severe anemia lets up.

His BP is alway still very high, and hypertension can now be added to the list of my poor hubby's woes.

The blood test also had a lot of other information in it. According to the information they found, his blood cells are all abnormally sized. Because so many are small, they aren't carrying enough oxygen, so his body is making LARGER than normal sized red blood cells and many, many of them. His WHITE blood cells are of normal number so that may be good news, or it may not, she couldn't really say. AND to top it off, because he has all this other stuff going on his body is making cells that are called poikilocytes. "What's a poikilocyte?" you ask....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poikilocytosis

"A poikilocyte is an abnormally shaped cell...... Generally, poikilocytosis can refer to an increase in abnormal red blood cells of any shape where they make up 10% or more of the total population........ Rather than being seen as a sign of any one disease, poikilocytosis is a rather general condition. There may, however, be a predominance of one particular type of abnormally shaped red cells, some of which may indicate possible presence of a specific disease or disorder....... For example, poikilocytosis can be caused by a vitamin deficiency (e.g. Vitamin B12 or folic acid), in which case the treatment is to replenish the deficient vitamin. It can be caused by a digestive disease, such as celiac disease, in which case the solution may lie in treating the underlying celiac disease so that nutrients can be properly absorbed....."

According to the Dr, a poikilocyte can also be a sign of cancer. {sigh} Love it when they say "can be" and "maybe" and "not going to rule it out" and "not until we do more tests".

Hubby's issue con't.

Just thought I would update everyone. We called the dr. and he has an appointment tomorrow to see if she (his regular dr. is out of town all week so he's seeing another dr. in the same clinic) can recheck his blood pressure, and to see if she can check on his possible TIA/mini-stroke. Because he has a family history of strokes (his maternal grandmother died from a stroke) she says that the history coupled with the high blood pressure that it's very possible that he did have a TIA/stroke. We will hopefully know more tomorrow.

Hallow's Eve, Lisa Theriot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFto5jSBfB4


On Hallow's Eve, on moonlit night
On Samhaine, when the veil is thin
Between the worlds of dark and light
Dare you let a stranger in?

Most folk beside their hearth will stay
The night when frost first chills the sod
When spirits walk, as some will say
An evil night to be abroad

But I was sat beside the fire
With shadows dancing on the floor
And as I watched the flames leap higher
A knock came on my cottage door.

"Who's there?" I called with trembling voice
That did my fearful state betray
I was resolved that, given choice
Behind my oaken door I'd stay

"Don't be afraid, I mean no ill"
A voice like honey filled my ears
And just as if it bent my will
I drew the bolt despite my fears.

There stood a man with raven hair
As tall and straight as Gallow's Oak
His face held beauty and despair
And with the same soft voice he spoke

"I walk this night with weary tread
My hours but a precious few
Among the unremembered dead
To seek the love I never knew

I prayed that Fate would help me find
A loving heart that would not fear
And guide my steps to someone kind--
In all the world, it led me here."

"Don't be a fool!" my reason quailed
For some there are that call me wise
And yet my foolish heart prevailed
My wisdom lost in dark, sad eyes.

When blackest night gave way at last
The grey cock crowed, and then the red
"The day has come, my time is past
I must away!" my lover said.

"Oh no!" I cried, "It cannot be!
My heart should burst from such a pain
If day must part my love and me
For mercy, will you come again?"

"I know not if there be such power
To life again my soul to bind
But here I pledge that hopeful hour
This earth to walk, my love to find."

And as the dawn broke high above
The coal-black cock crowed on the green
Without a sound my phantom love
Was gone as if he'd never been.

I live now as I always have
I tend the sick with healer's art
But cannot find the balm or salve
To close the wound upon my heart.

Though I may no more see his face
And may be damned if I believe
No mortal man will e'er replace
My love that came on Hallow's Eve.

On Hallow's Eve, on moonlit night
On Samhaine, when the veil is thin
Between the worlds of dark and light
I wait to let a stranger in.

words and music by Lisa Theriot
© 1997 Raven Boy Music

Just one more thing....

I come in from my nap, and hubby turns in his computer chair to look at me. He kind of gives me this "look" and to me it scares me... I don't know why, but it does. Maybe it's because the right side of his mouth is kind of fallen down looking, almost like a frown... but that's not right. his LEFT side is the one that usually falls a little... Both from the radical neck dissection he had when he fought cancer in 2001 and from the radiation itself. I ask him "What?" and he says nothing, just looks at me... then he opens his mouth and closes it... I panic just a little inside and again say "WHAT???" he puts up a finger and opens his mouth... rolls his eyes and closes his mouth again... I tell him... "well? Say something." I am starting to think he's pulling a prank, or trying to see if I'm paying attention. he then puts up another finger, sighs heavy and does that open/close mouth thing again... all the time rolling his eyes like it's ME who can't understand him. I am really starting to panic now, and I tell him to say his ABC's... and he can't. he can't say anything at all! damn it. I ask him to tellme his name... he can't do that either.

It all sounds like this takes a long time to work through, but it doesn't. it's just a few seconds really.

I ask him if he can say anything... anything at all... he replies "y, y, yes"... and it comes out clear finally, with no slurring.

Then, just as quickly as it comes... it's all gone and he can answer all the questions, his abc's, his name, where he lives and everything.

I suspect he's had a stroke, or a TIA... I asked him if I should call the dr..... he said no. Grrr... I want to slap him sometimes.

What if this was a stroke? his blood pressure is high after all, it was 134/116 when he was at the dr office week before last... and it was 150/102 when I took it the 1st. He takes clonadine, but i guess that doesn't mean much if he's now having "mini-strokes".