Things had been going along without much changing. This weekend certainly was a change. I had not felt well on Friday and knew I was experiencing stomach problems and blockage. Saturday was getting worse but I worked outside in the gardens until about noon and came in because of the heat and the fact that I had completed what I wanted to do. Then things started to go down hill pretty quickly. By approximately 3:00, we went to the emergency room at Campbell Hospital. I was vomiting and the blockage was becoming unbearable. They took blood and x-rays and the diagnosis was: colonic inertia, vomiting and thrombocytopenia. I was given shots to help curb the nausea and stomach pains and given medications to help with the blockage. Before I left the hospital, I had already begun to heave but the nurse said I needed to keep it down…right easy for her to say. I lost everything on the way home and received no relief. About two hours later, we were on our way back to the hospital.

This time they used the tests from earlier in the day but also did a CAT Scan. The diagnosis this time was: constipation, thrombocytopenia and abdominal pain. They gave me the relief I needed this time and we arrived home about 2:00 on Sunday morning. Yesterday was not the greatest day because I was so very weak and unable to eat but they had also cautioned me that I was dehydrated and needed to be careful. Today is better. Went to dialysis and everything was ok there. Not the weekend I had hoped for but feeling much better now.

Not much has changed but I am able to skip every other week for blood testing and transfusions. I had made this decision because of my numbers and it seems to be working. I talked to Dr. Mary Skiba (Dr. Page was not in last week) and she agreed that it was ok to do this. It should help with my iron overload and it is so nice to have a week off from going in on Wednesday afternoon for testing then to the hospital on Thursday for the transfusions. Will continue this until my numbers indicate this is not a good idea.

The last time I saw Dr. Skiba, she asked me what keeps me going and what makes me get up and function each day? I told her it was because of my family, friends and just the fact I feel I have so many things to do that I am not ready to give up. An example of this is because of my grandsons. When school was in session in the spring, Robert was involved in a walk for cancer awareness and he told his dad, A. G., that he wanted to walk for Nonna, I was so very touched by this. Yesterday when Alan was here, he shared something with me that was so very sweet. When he was at camp last week, the fellow campers in his cabin were talking about what they would wish for if they had three wishes. Alan said he would wish for world peace, all who are hungry have food and the money they needed and that Nonna did not have the diseases she has and that she was well and healthy. Now aren’t those two of the most wonderful reasons to live for?