So, this is about the 48 hours leading up to the time that I found out and what happened so rapidly thereafter.
On Wednesday October 2, 2013 I was still struggling but I was trying to work. It felt like it was going to be a good day. Heck I got a close packing spot. Fourth spot from the stairs. I was relieved that I would not have to walk as far. Walking in I still had the muscle aching and by now I was compensating for taking the stairs by taking the elevator. So, it wasn't as bad. As I might have said. Things in the beginning of an outage start out slow. We had a job to go in and test the Nuclear Evacuation Horns in containment that day. We had to wait until we hit Mode 5. That took until around 2:30. We prepped the job and discussed what rolls each of us was going to play. I decided that I would lead the team going into containment. Heck it was just checking horns in two locations. I was just listening for the alarm. There should not be anything hard about doing that. Me and my partner went into containment about 3 that day. All I did was climb three 12 ft ladders and had to climb 4 flights of stairs to check the second location. By the time I climbed those four flights of stairs I was winded and my heart was racing. It took a long time for me to be able to talk over the PA to verify that the horn was working. We then exited containment. It was only about an hour and an half of work. But, by the time I got back to the shop I was spent. I sat there for an hour. My head started to hurt and I was a little shaky. I then changed from my modesty's back into my street close to leave for the day. It was all I could do to get out to my truck at the end of that shift. I had to just walk about a 1/4 mile and one flight of stairs to get there. By the time I got to my truck I was winded and my heart was racing. This time I thought I was going to have a heart attack or a stroke. Lucky for me I didn't have either. I drove home and I explained everything to Cindy. I told her. "I am done."
I didn't want to spend the night in the hospital. So, I told her that I would call off work on Thursday and I would either get into see Mayle or go to the emergency room. Part of the reason that I held out from going to the emergency room is that we have a $100 co-pay if you go to the emergency room. We just didn't have the money for that and by this time I really didn't think they would figure out what was going on with me. So morning comes and I get up and get a shower. Cindy calls Dr. Mayle's service and tells them either he get me in or I am going to the emergency room. They scheduled me an appointment for 9:15. The outpatient lab was open at 8:00 so we had just enough time to get the blood work drawn before the appointment with Mayle. We get to the appointment and the nurse runs an EKG to check my heart right there in the office. When Dr. Mayle comes in he had looked at the EKG. He tells me that the good news is that he didn't see anything wrong with my heart. He then proceeds to tell me that he thinks that I am Anemic. Finally something that I can start to make sense of. He goes on to tell us that there are many causes for being Anemic like low iron or insufficient B12. But, that he didn't want to speculate. He would wait for the test results and give us a call. Probably not until about 5:00. He told me not to go to work that day. Just to go home and rest and that is what I did.
Since Cindy didn't want to use to much sick/vacation time she ended up going to work while I stayed home and rested. I was just laying around watching TV when around 3:35 I noticed that I had a voice mail from Dr. Mayle. I had left my phone on vibrate and the call went right to voice mail. So, I listen to the voice mail and it goes like this.
"Anthony this is Dr. Mayle. I need you to contact me right away. Call my service and have them patch you right through to me. They will be expecting your call. Also you may be hearing from another doctor that I have been talking to."
Well, I not ashamed to say that I start to wonder what could be going on. Doctors don't usually want you to call them right away if it is good news. I am thinking how serious could being Anemic be? And my thoughts of just having to add an iron supplement or change my diet just went out the window. I had done some research on being Anemic after the appointment and had been preparing myself for the possible results.
I call him back. Get passed right through to him. One of the first things he ask is if I had talked to the Oncologist. I tell him no and I am thinking to myself. What the hell how does being Anemic go to having to talk to a cancer doctor? He proceeds to tell me that I am Anemic. Very Anemic. That my hemoglobin was 5.6 and normal is between 14.0 and 18.0. and my white blood cell count is high. I can't hear him say the number because my cell phone is cutting in and out and I just can't hear parts of it. I know it is high and not good. He then goes on to tell me that he has been conferring with a Dr. Patel an Oncologist out of Lakeland St. Joe. He ask if I want to hear the rest over the phone or come to his office. I tell him I will take the news over the phone. He then proceeds to tell me that they both think that I have Acute Leukemia. That Dr. Patel will be calling me in a few minutes and she is in the process of setting up a blood transfusion at Lakeland hospital St. Joe. He tells me that Acute means fast, as that it has come on rapidly. That it has to be treated quickly. And a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember right now. I hang up the phone.
I call Cindy at work and tell her to get home. I tell her I just got off the phone with Dr. Mayle and about the voice mail that he told me I have Leukemia and on Oncologist will be calling me in just a couple minutes. I say. "Just to get home and I would fill her in when she get here."
I am not ashamed to say that after I got off the phone with Dr. Mayle that I lost it. I was crying and thinking oh my God how is it that I now have cancer? I am panicked. But, now I am waiting for the next phone call and for Cindy to get home.
3:48 I get a phone call. It is Dr. Patel from Lakeland St. Joe. She asks if I talked to Dr. Mayle and I tell her I have. She proceeds to tell me that they feel I have Acute Leukemia. That I need a blood transfusion right away and that I will be getting another call from a Dr. Brinker's office. She explains that she doesn't think they are well enough equipped to deal with this kind of cancer at Lakeland. That my choices are to be treated in Grand Rapids or Ann Arbor and since Grand Rapids is closer she recommended I get treatment here. She tells me that they have referred other up here with good results. That she had spoken with Dr. Brinker about my blood work and he had agreed to take me on as a new patient. That he would see me first thing Friday morning. I was his first patient at 8:00 am and I had to be in Grand Rapids at that time. I agree and she begins to detail the information about the blood transfusion. She tells me that it will all be setup for me to go to the pediatric unit at Lakeland and get the blood transfusion. That I needed to be there as soon as possible. She did however neglect to tell me how long it would actually take.
No sooner am I off the phone with her and at 4:41 a new patient person is calling from Dr. Brinker's office to confirm the appointment for Friday and of course get my insurance information.
Cindy if off picking up Karlye from yearbook at school during part of this time. So I am waiting for them to get home and sitting at the kitchen table stunned.
The girls show up a little while later and when they come in I can tell that Cindy hasn't said anything to Karlye. So, I ask her how her day was and she tells me. She ask me how I am feeling and I tell her to sit down. I proceed to tell her what had been going on this afternoon and of course we all cry. But, I tell her we are going to get through this and I love her.
We get Karlye situated and ask her if she wants to go to the hospital with us because I have to get a blood tranfusion. She decides that she has homework and to stay home. I tell her I think it should only take a couple of hours... maybe four. But, we will be back as soon as possible. Cindy and I head to the hospital.
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