Four Units of Blood Later...

...I feel like a new woman! It is a slow recovery, but I am making a comeback and starting to feel like MYSELF again! It has been such a long time... since August, I think, that I had energy and felt "well."

I had a bit of an emergency last week. My blood volume and red blood cell count got so low, due to colitis bleeding leading to TOO much bleeding from my low platelet level (not able to clot), I had to go to the emergency room and then be admitted to the hospital, and received four blood transfusions (four units). Normally when your hematocrit and hemoglobin are low, the standard is two units. I got double that - phew! One of my nurses even said he had never heard of someone getting four units at once.

I found out that my numbers were so low (hematocrit: 15!) that I could have had a kind of heart failure. I am thankful I had the sense not to get up much from bed for the three days it took to figure out I need serious medical care. One of the doctors said if I had exerted myself, and got my heart working harder than it already was - and it was working hard; my resting pulse was 140, yikes - that I would have had some problems...

Thank You God for your protection and wisdom, and my husband taking care of me so I could stay safe!

Now it's been a few days, and I am slowly recovering. I haven't had bleeding issues, praise Jesus for His healing mercy, and my hematocrit must be hovering around 30 or 32. It was 32 before I left the hospital last Friday. That is a WONDERFUL number for me! I am able to get up in the morning and get out of bed, greet my baby girl and get her up for the day, changed, dressed - never take those things for granted, because I haven't been able to do them in weeks, maybe months. I missed that. Not caring for your own child, you start to wonder, "what makes me a mom?" It's all good now, but it is an interesting struggle when you are in that position.

Yesterday was the first day I felt "well," and my Hubs and I got out and did a bit of adventuring together. One of our favorite things to do is go to the thrift store, where they have this HUGE yard full of trash and treasures, and see if we can find something we need or could use. We found a great old wooden rocking horse, we're going to sand it a bit and get it spruced up for Victory. I had to give it a test ride, of course, before we bought it!

Well, I am going to get up and do something fun and productive now for a change! :) Join me in faith believing and praying that I am now healed, that it will only be improvements continued from this point, and no more backwards steps into any other illness or issues. Seize the day, friends!