First, I just have to say thank you to everyone who has been following along, sending me sweet texts, emails and Facebook messages and giving me support. I know I’m a big baby on my best days and the extra love has been so, so nice. I’ve tried to handle all of this uncertainty with a sense of humor and I do better some days than others. I suppose I’m allowed to be human 🙂
I really did hope to have more answers this week than I got, but I’m still in wait and see mode. I likely will have some info back from my ultrasounds at the end of today, though, and I already know my stomach is functioning properly. This is good! I am being referred to a rheumatologist for the inflammation issue, though, and we still have Tuesday’s bloodwork to read.
One thing I did find out for sure is that despite having a low platelet count, the platelets I have are young, plump and strong. That made me giggle. So I may not have the platelets I should, but at least the ones I have are hearty. It’s quality over quantity, right? So, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Mouthful, right? It’s a bleeding disorder in which the immune system destroys platelets, which are necessary for normal blood clotting. Persons with the disease have too few platelets in the blood. For now there’s no treatment necessary, but I’ll have to keep going in and having my levels checked. If they drop too low, then we’ll take action. Also, my body is an asshole. Stop destroying those nice platelets!
Let’s talk about Thursday’s adventures, shall we? Started the day with an ultrasound for my gallbladder, liver, kidney and spleen. I’ve had to have an ultrasound on my left breast several years back so I knew a bit of what to expect, but it’s a lot more poking around and digging in with a wand than a movie about pregnant people would have you believe. (BTW, the girls are fine. They’re just apparently “lumpy” but having a mammogram and ultrasound when you’re 32 is super not fun.)
It was interesting to watch the process, though, and I had to laugh when FINALLY someone told my mom to stop taking pictures. Thank you, radiologist! Mom is excellent at documenting the process but thankfully also excellent at not posting 🙂 Don’t get me started on the first time I had a mole biopsy and stitches, and I bet she would have video taped my first eyebrow wax if given the chance. I’ll add the selfie and the mom-taken ‘why am I waiting in this godawful room’ bitchface pic. Don’t mind the beautiful bracelet accessories. Hospital plastic is all the rage.
After the ultrasound came the radioactive breakfast, and I will say again that it was disgusting. I LOVE eggs and I was so concerned when I did my ALCAT several months ago that I would have a sensitivity. Well let me just tell you that I’m pretty sure I have a sensitivity to slimy, scrambled hospital eggs with radioactive sprinkles. Yikes. And my first piece of toast in who knows how long? I thought about skipping it to avoid any tummy trauma but I had to have it (along with the Welch’s extra high fructose corn syrup strawberry jelly) to choke down those eggs.
Like I said on social media – the ambiance in this restaurant is terrible.
The cool thing is standing up against the machine (top right with the squares in the pic) and seeing where the eggs were hanging out in my stomach, though. Wait an hour, then have another pic taken. Wait an hour, have a third pic taken. I lucked out that my eggs where mostly at the bottom of my stomach where they belong at the end of the third hour, so I didn’t have to wait for a fourth. End result is that my stomach functions on the lowest end of normal, but normal is good! We still have to figure out why I get sick so much, but at least I know it’s not my stomach being hateful.
Well, no more hateful than usual. I felt awful all day thanks to that stupid breakfast. I was able to keep it down and had an insanely delicious lunch at Zoe’s, but still felt gross all day. Oh well, suppose spending five hours at a hospital is enough to make anyone feel gross.
Thankfully, mom hooked me up with some delicious eggs this morning for breakfast. (Along with avocado, chicken sausage and freshly peeled grapefruit and OMG yes I am totally stuffed.)
I’ve got her one more day while we wait to get blood and ultrasound results back today. I will hang onto her as long as I can! Love my momma.
Cheers!
