Home from the hospital.

I'm back home! After a gorgeous day on the ski hill last Monday, I ended up getting a fever overnight due to my low white blood cell count and spent the last week in the Amherst hospital. I spent a night in emerg before they found a bed for me where I hung out all week. I'm home now on a daily IV antibiotic with the VON.

I was surprised that the Halifax doctors agreed to let me stay in Amherst as they usually want me as close to them as possible. The argument was that the 'meds are the same no matter what hospital I'm in.' Which is true. And it was easier for Isaiah as he could be home (not that he has any problems finding places to stay in Halifax). However, after the past week, next time I'm going to push to be sent to Halifax.

Not just because the VG has the Internet and TV (I felt like I was going through withdrawal the first few days), but because it seemed like I spent the entire stay just waiting on the Amherst team to call the Halifax team to find out what to do. Everyone in Amherst was lovely but they simply just didn't know what to do with me. Hell, Halifax barely knows what to do with me half of the time.

They also refused to give me a blood transfusion even though my hemoglobin was/is below 80 which was super frustrating. I understand that it's due to the fact that the medical standards are that the person has to be below 70. However, my standard is now 80 due to the chemotherapy and all my objections of "Halifax would've transfused me twice by now" were met with a "well, we'll let the doctors know."

My hemoglobin level is still low and I got a call from the hematology nurse in Halifax this morning asking why I wasn't given blood and if the staff were aware that my hemoglobin was below 80 when they sent me home. Argh! I knew!! They knew!! Everyone knew!! I'm not sure what she expected me to do short of turning vampire and start sucking it from the closest person with type A that I know.

It's so irritating because other than my low hemaglobin, I'm feeling pretty good. I went skating today but had to stop after 10 minutes as I was feeling so light-headed. Someone give me blood so I can spend this week doing stuff before my next chemotherapy cycle. It's really too bad I can't write my own prescriptions.

So...next time (assuming that this annoying low white count-causing-fever cycle repeats itself in three weeks) I will be advocating to go to the VG, even though the water is toxic and the food is much, much worse.