The emergency room trip

[charm27]

Well I woke up this morn and couldnt move my legs (more horrible than usual) they felt like they were in quicksand bigtime. If I walked from one room to another I was so winded I couldnt breathe at all. I really felt like its time for the emergency room. Three weeks ago my HGB was 10.7. I had a battery of blood taken and just walked in I was sure my HGB was under 10. Nope! It was better than last time 10.8! I imagine its just symptoms of this wonderful interferon. I actually couldnt move or catch my breath. They had to put me in wheelchair I couldnt stand up.
The ER took 6 vials of blood, from heart enzymes, liver, kidney everything. All is normal but the patient.
I guess one ER visit was to be expected. I just did shot 28 last night.
I am so whipped.

[TeeVee36]

Sorry to her about your ER trip.  Glad to hear you are home and better :-)  Sounds very scary.  I would have went to the ER a couple of times but was too scared to go but was right on the verge of going.  I was a total mess during those 'moments' as I like to call them.

My dx gave me Procrit and I was in the 11's; always just a little below average.  It dipped  in the 10's like once.  I think Procrit must be real expensive because I had a 50.00 co-pay and the Neupogen was always free.  I know Neupogen is very expensive but I never paid attention to the actual cost of the Procrit.  I only took the procrit every other week and I still stayed in the 11's and they didn't start it until the last couple of mos of my tx.

I think it is unfair that they don't give it to everyone that needs it!  

TV

[Deb_c430]

Deb EC has  a great point there,   I am on  40 once a week and 20 once a week. Last two Cbcs I am holding at 10.6 and I still feel like ****!  I really wish even a small dose of Procrit would come your way!

My WBCs and Absolute neuts   in two weeks have gone from

WBcs  1.7   now they are 1.4
Absolute Neut 1.1 to .08

Your body does adjust normally, but for what ever reason yours isn't,  I know insurance has a lot to do with this, BUT dang!  

[nygirl7]

Charm,

Just because the stupid insurance companies/doctors don't give Procrit until under 10 usually doesn't mean that a 10.8 is any FUN!  it's horrible! I can tell you that in time you should get more adjusted to it believe it or not (even on the procrit my labs stayed at about 10.5 if I took more it went up too high) and sooner or later my body sort of got used to living with less oxygen.

Our bodies are just so adaptable it freaks me out!

Nobody said that having anemia would mean one number hurts more than another. You ahve to remember you DO have the hemolytic anemia BIG TIME!

Treat yourself kindly and try not to freak out too much my friend. This road isn't much fun at all but at least once it's over..........so is the anemia!

[Deb_c430]

Well dang!  What the heck?  How did you get there? Did you drive yourself?

Oh my dear friend, I worry so much about you!      Love you!  

giggled at 101% that is Charm, funny when she is  not so good!

[Trish77]

"I feel like 101% poop!"  

I gotta say ... that had me laughing out loud.  :)  How nice it is to have a place where you can safely say ... "I feel like cr@p" and where people can completely identify.

[Trish77]

Honey, compared to alot of you, my tx is a cakewalk.  It just is what it is for ME.  I'm sorry to hear how tough it is for alot of you with the sides and I know how fortunate I am.  

No Hannibal Lecter mask required yet.  I'm kinda terrified of that ... I'm trying my best to do no harm as it is!  

Ain't Jasper a peach?  I think he's just the best... and posts the bestest links.  (That's my word for better than best. :)

Hugs to you, Charmgirl .. send the capes to the drycleaners and keep on truckin'....

Trish

[charm27]

Thanks for everything.I feel like 101% poop! I had about a month of feeling somewhat like a human I was thinking yipee I could maybe handle this! YES!! WRONG AGAIN!!
Trish-Im sorry you starting to feel the ghastly effects of this tx. I will pray it doesnt get any worse. Geterdone- LMFAo- I said hmmm Louie is coming to visit and after tx he will
bring me something to make me feel better???? hmmmm. I said to  myself who the heck is Louis Im so "out there" I didnt see the link for about two minutes. BTW  one of my absolute favorites makes me sob when Im happy. Imagine what it does to me now when I listen to Louie! THank  you Jasper. Medicmommy-My blood is checked every month now it was every two, then every three and since it hasnt dropped below 10.5 its once a month now. Hope you are doing better. Rita: THank you , your always there for support. Trish- What happened to Hanibal Lechter?? Dont think we need the mask anymore eh?? Were to tired we couldnt hurt a mosquito!!
Have a good weekend and lets hope we all start to feel more human soon!

[medicmommy]

((((((((((((((((((((HUGZ))))))))))))))))) I hope by the time you read this, you feel a bit better...I'm telling you...have some hold your Dr hostage until they give you an oxygen bottle! It's still unfathomable to me why, when you HGB crashes, the doc's don't make supplemental oxygen a choice...-Even if it only helped a little! A well oxygenated and well hydrated body is a happy one...hang in there...I can feel the effects of the meds...every week it's the same...Monday night shot...by Wed am, the fatigue starts...The volume of fatigue increases through sat am, sometimes complete with the compressed chest and panting thing, and is usually gone by Mon am...(this is at week #14) Earlier in the txing, when all the bloods were dropping, it was constant...Keep an eye on your blood levels..Drink, drink, drink...Roll some old lady for her oxygen bottle..LOL...                                           ~Melinda

[rita863]

Hang in there Charm!  Hope you are feeling better soon.

Peace
Rita

[geterdone]

Hey kido, just remember when the coaster stops, it’s all good. My man Louie has something for you at the end of TX. Hang tough and keep moving forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5IIXeR5OUI&feature=related

jasper

[Trish77]

I'm glad you got yourself to the emergency room.  Better safe than sorry.  I've made that trip just once myself because I was feeling so totally weird, I needed to know everything was okay.  Just way more tired and weird symptoms.  Turns out my HGB was 10.9 so it was a bit of a wonder...all I could figure is that maybe I overdid it or maybe I spiked up and then dropped again and it was the drop back to my "normal" that I was feeling.  I spent the rest of the weekend resting up to make sure I got a good recovery.  So you're not alone on that one.

Take good care of yourself.  You're in the really hard part now where you're battle weary both physically and emotionally.  I find that dealing with the other things that won't go away in life takes a toll on you too and it depletes your resources further.  I've been thinking about you and wanted to write you a personal message but have just been so bloody exhausted and I'm sorry you haven't heard from me.  I've been thinking of you and it's good to see you posting...even if it's to say "I feel like cr@p"  :)

Hang in there.....you're cared for and thought about and we're with you all the way through.

Take care.

Trish

[charm27]

Yeah I hate hospitls too more than anyone. However yesterday had no choice.
Thanks all of you these drugs are brutal and thats being kind!
Hope you all hang in as well.
Im counting the months left..............

Feel like poop

[Mikkimoe]

Hey gal - sorry about the ER - If I didn't hate the place so much I would of been there a dozen times now. I have the exact thing you are talking about. I have to use a wheelchair to go further then 20 feet. Bed ridden...totally dizzy and winded all the time.  It's the Interferin...the stuff is brutal. I have presented every research document possible to my Dr. to prove it could be any thing else....but no it's not.  Three weeks after I cut back on it a bit all the symptoms began to improve...(and my hgb was a bit higher then yours)

I'm holding at 145 peg and 600 riba  (for my size of 100 lbs it is a very theraputic range). But I'm also a lucky 2B that was UND at 3.5 wks so am a little more confident in my decision. I really hope you feel better soon - you have really been through it.

I miss you all - good to be typing again for a bit.

Take Care,

Mikki

[meki]

JD --- this stuff always happens on the weekend because most of us are taking our shots on our "friday" nights (for some it's different depending on family or work schedules).

Charm sweetie - so glad they didn't find anything --- But I'll be honest with you --- I think --- after experiencing and reading many other folks... That Interferon messes with your body and mind... Maybe on an unseen or unheard of level...

But it changes or mutates something... Which causes a myriad of side effects... Things they just can't explain but that are REAL never-the less.

So - it's NOT just the patient... I promise.

Super hugs,

Meki

[GSDgirl]

I ende up in the er twice for that, legs were so wobbly hubby had to help me to the car and get a wheelchair.  First time seemed to clear up while I was waiting to get IN the er but the second time they gave me 2 bags of iv fluids and my er doc basically said that it happens sometimes as she had seen it before.  I never even knew what my hgb was all thru tx.  I have to wonder how many other hep patients my gastro had treated, probably just me.  I really hope you feel better

Denise

[charm27]

Thanks for all your support.
JD- How are you? Hopefully ok!
      They didnt do any imaging they said my lungs were as clear as a bell and all labs including, cardiac enzymes, liver, kidney, and everything else was normal. The first thing they did was hook me up to EKG, and prepared me for IV in case a transfusion was needed. Emer. room doc said right away my eyes are very pink which shows I might be enemic due to interferon but not to the p oint where I would need Procrit. (I havent been on procrit yet.) My HGB has been hovering around 10.7. My sx that have done me in since the beginning have been shortness of breath and weakness in legs.
They had me there four hours and really gave me extensive going over. Cant wait for this
hell to be over soon. I did have a chest x ray too.
MARCIA- Thank you if I rest anymore I will have permanent imprint of my body in my mattress! Im so sick of laying down I cant anymore and yet if I walk I dont last more than a couple of blocks. Huffing and puffing. The heat here in FLorida is making everything worse as far as my tx.
FUZZY- Thanks for you warm cheers! Im just at the end of my rope which I know was to be expected. As soon as I have a few decent weeks BANG!! I get slammed again.
Hope you all are well and thanks again.
Going to my bed now. You all have a good weekend!

[fuzzy1dar]

sorry to here you had to take a trip to the ER.  I hope they took good care of you and you''re feeling much better today!  Hoping the rest of your tx goes quickly and with minimal sx!

take care.....Darla

[jdwithhcv]

Oh, sweetie, I really feel for you.  That sounds terrifying.  Did they do any imaging?  You might ask for a chest x-ray at least, since you're so short of breath.  Did they put you on oxygen and if so did it help?  I can't remember if you're on procrit but even if you're not did they evaluate you for clots?  (At hgb 10.8 your blood is not exactly sludge, but still you're short of breath and couldn't move your legs.)

Why does this stuff always happen on the weekend?  You're right, at least one ER trip is to be expected.  After all, you're being treated with poison.  But hey, shot 28 - great!  You're more than halfway home.

Huffing, puffing whipped zombies with pink polka-dot blotched bellies - that's us!

Be well, my friend.  Glad to see your face back on the forum.

xoxox
jd

[Marcia2202]

Wow, that must have been scary. I'm glad to hear that it was nothing serious. And hope you will feel better soon and that you will be able to rest.

Marcia