...back to the hospital. This time, Terry is anemic and short of breath. He has been scanned and Dopplered and x-rayed all up and down his torso. So far it seems he is losing blood somewhere in the gastrointestinal tract, but they haven't been able to pin it down yet. Seems a colonoscopy is needed, but his blood count is too low for that at this point, so they must build up his blood.
Meanwhile, it seems one lung has some "effusion," which they haven't gotten a clear picture of yet, to see whether it's fluid inside or outside the lung, or if the lung is collapsed or what. Late this evening he had a CT scan so they can see a better picture.
He is resting comfortably for the moment, but he looks very pitiful when I leave at night and greets me eagerly when I return in the morning. I just sit by him all day, and we don't even talk a lot, but it seems to make him feel better to have me around. I have learned to keep a tablet handy to write down all the names of the different doctors, tests and treatments, and diagnoses. Of course I want to be there with him all day, but I must admit I am ready to come home by 8 o'clock in the evening so I can unwind and clean up and then sleep in my own bed. I try to get up early enough in the morning to go to Curves before the hospital, too, so I don't get out of the habit. I must be crazy exercising at 7 A.M! I would really rather sleep, but I'm trying to be good.
I am optimistic that within a few days one or two of the 10 doctors we've seen will be able to come up with a diagnosis for the lung problem and the anemia. Then we can proceed to fix everything and hope that Terry can finally put this miserable 6 months behind him. He has had a very rough road to travel, and I'. afraid I haven't always felt as sympathetic as I could have when he complained. But he has kind of been like the boy who cried wolf, and with all his complaints, I wasn't sure what were legitimate ones. Of course, due to the anemia, they were probably all legitimate! Glad I bit my tongue and didn't harass him when I wanted to! :) Life is good (I think...).
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2 comments:
There is no way ALL his complaints were legitimate--he'd be dead! And the anemia is recent, because they've been keeping such a close eye on his blood and they would have noticed it if it were a problem for too long.
Hang in there.
We put a packet of drawings and some photos in the mail this morning. Watch for them :-)
This has to be a tough time for you!
I know your nearness means a lot to him. Most men can't stand hospitals (even more than women)
Update when you can, and I'll be praying for you..
(((hugs)))
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