Such Fucking Positivity!

Picking up where I left off yesterday my hematologist set up an appointment with the surgeon who had lots of experience removing spleens I was told. That is always comforting when you hear that because who wants someone who has performed a few.

So we go to this appointment and the surgeon starts looking at my spleen x-ray and latest bloodwork then he starts talking about my case in sort of a funny way. He is looking at my platelet count and it is really low with a reading of 70. The normal reading should be anywhere from 150 on the low end to 400. Now the platelets are necessary because that is what clots the blood when you start to bleed. His concern was excessive bleeding that would take place during the operation that would cause a big loss of blood. He explained my spleen was very big and that he would have to cut to get it out. Sort of unlucky but no surprise that an arthroscopic removal could not be done just like the hernia.

In fact low platelet counts contribute to mouth sores. They used to drive me crazy in the restaurant because it was hard to speak to the guests when your tongue was hurting from one of these and my face actually looked twisted trying to talk around the pain.

So back to the surgeon. So talking about the operation  he says yes when he sees the hematologist he will ask her in passing what are you doing Janet and she will know exactly what I am talking about.
Like what? Like my splenectomy is going to be difficult or some sort of huge risk that shouldn't be taken?

Then wrapping up he starts telling the story of how he lost a patient that everything seemed to be fine during the operation but complications arose maybe cause of his platelets and this person passed shortly thereafter. Soley and I left shaking our heads. What did this surgeon know and was not telling us?

We saw him in December and before leaving we picked a day in January. Operation days were Wednesdays so we picked the second Wednesday to go in and get it out. The hospital called and set up a pre-op appointment to just do some tests, sign the all important waiver, and just go over a few things. They gave me two sponges. One to clean the area that was going to be operated on the evening before and the other for the morning of the splenectomy.

January came and I could feel worse and worse. Just going for transfusions, battling with frequent cold sores, and always had lots of mucous in my nose and chest.

The day is drawing near and then we get a phone call to say my operation is postponed a week. What! Someone else needed a splenectomy more than I did basically was the reason. Then the following week it was postponed again. We got into February and it was delayed again. Then I had a day at the end of February booked and it was a go but then I got pneumonia again. I went  to Guelph General Hospital here in town and had to cancel my blood transfusion in Kitchener. I said I was home with pneumonia what was I supposed to do infect everyone getting a transfusion? So I got on some antibiotics and because I missed the transfusion the next time around my hemoglobin had dropped just below 60. I remember this time I went alone and it was cold. Walking across the street from the parking lot was like lifting two sledgehammers for feet. When it gets low like that funny things start to happen to your body.

I got a couple of pints of blood. The operation was now for March 1st 2018. I went for two transfusions the week before. One because the hemoglobin was low and the second one was the day before the operation because the hematologist wanted me to be stocked up.

While there the day before I saw the assistant of the hematologist walking through and I know she saw me so I got her attention and asked her if she wished me luck for the next day. She said to me she has seen too many things and never wished anyone luck but the way she said it was bizarre. Finally I got a good luck out of her.

Well that might be half true what she said as I was to find out later on from the hematologist that she thought I wouldn't survive the splenectomy.

Such fucking positivity!