Fresh blood

I got my second blood transfusion today. I've been anemic for a long time, but it just kept getting worse despite my focus on consuming iron-rich foods. I had no energy and was even having trouble breathing (I would run out of air just talking--it felt like after blowing up a balloon). Teaching was completely exhausting.  The transfusion perked me up and helped me be able to breathe easier. It didn't help as much as I'd hoped, though, probably because I am still so sick and the underlying problem hasn't been resolved. I have a flex sigmoidoscopy tomorrow to check on things down in the old colon, and we're considering trying a different drug (since Remicade isn't doing the job) and/or having my colon surgically removed (yikes!).

As I received my second blood transfusion for anemia this morning, I was touched once again by immense gratitude for the random strangers that have given me the blood from their bodies so I could feel better. Through my whole health saga over the last several months, I’ve also been impressed by the kindness of the doctors and nurses I’ve interacted with who have gone above and beyond--calling me in their off-hours late in the evening, going to great lengths to get me treatments that might help, making dozens of calls to find me an appointment. But on some level, that’s their job. The anonymous blood donors stand out because they have helped another stranger out of the goodness of their heart. I mean, they gave me their blood. Think about that. I have four strangers’ blood cells coursing through my veins. Pretty amazing. So while it’s easy to get frustrated with humanity sometimes, it’s good to remember that there are strangers giving their blood to strangers so those strangers can feel better.

Also, I think it’s hilarious that with everything at the hospital being so pristine and high tech, they bring the blood up to the transfusion room from the blood bank in a cooler you can buy at Walmart.