The Six Month Recap

Six months ago today I woke up in a hospital bed in Upstate New York with jaundice and dangerously low hemoglobin listening to the nurses talk about whether or not to move me to the ICU.  Fast-forward to present day and I’m really thankful to be alive.  I don’t think I realized the true magnitude of how sick I was until recently.  I always assumed people were exaggerating when using the phrase “I almost died”, but in my case, it’s true.

For my own reference, I have been documenting my appointments, medications, and treatments these last six months.  I compiled a fairly comprehensive list of what my illness has entailed thus far.  For those of you who want to stay updated on my progress or are simply curious, but don’t have the time to read the whole blog, below is a cheat sheet.

The tests and procedures:

• EKG
• Chest X-Ray
• CT Scans: chest, abdomen (with contrast), pelvis
• Blood Transfusions
• Platelet Transfusion
• IVIG Infusions
• Echocardiogram
• Bone Marrow Biopsy
• Antidepressant Withdrawal
• Colonoscopy
• Prednisone Taper
• Bacterial Infection in the Small Intestine

The facts and figures:

• 36 Blood Draws
• 3 Different Hospitals/Hospital Visits
• 8 IVs
• 20 Hematology Appointments
• 4.2-13.4 Hemoglobin Range (Normal: 12.0-16.0)
• 13-114 Platelet Range (Normal: 150-450)
• 8,010mg Prednisone (as of this morning)
• 1 Unit of Platelets
• 4 Units of Blood
• 15 Units of IVIG
• 3 GI Bleeds
• 27+ Bloody Noses (I lost count after that)
• 4 Nights in a Hospital Bed