8:00 AM - After 2 months and 6 'abnormal' blood tests, I am on my way to see the Hematologist. As far as I am aware the abnormal blood tests indicate that my bone marrow is not functioning properly and the Haematologist will be able to run some more tests to find out why. While this appointment is at the Cancer Clinic, I have been advised that there are may things that could be causing these abnormalities and although cancer is one possibility, they want to rule it out I have been warned that the Hematologist will likely want to do a bone marrow aspiration to see more clearly what the root of the problem is.
8:20 AM - Arrive at the hospital lost and confused. Fill out paperwork and a Cancer Society volunteer escorts me to another waiting room and hands me a buzzer (much like you receive at a restaurant while waiting for a table). A couple minutes later a man approaches me and asks "Can I sit here? You look as lost and alone as I am." Of course I offer him the seat next to me and we exchange small talk and pleasantries while we wait (and wait and wait and wait). His name is Jake. He has had 'funny looking blood' for over 10 years. Nothing has been wrong with him and he has no symptoms of anything other than that his blood is funny looking and he doesn't fully understand why he is here. At least I'm not alone. Jake gets called for blood tests and leaves me alone for a few minutes. When he gets back he tells me that there's candy in the lab and offers to get me some. I smile and say "thanks, but no thanks." A few more minutes go by and I get my own shot at the candy after an unimaginable amount of blood is sucked from my arm. And back to the waiting room.
10:30 AM - My table is ready! Or my buzzer is going off indicating that I can go with the nurse. She takes me to a room, records my height and weight and tells me the doctor will be in in a few minutes.
11:00 AM - I meet the doctor. He is very nice, however maybe a little vague. He tells me that the blood tests that they did today indicate another drop in my blood levels and says that he will be performing a bone marrow aspiration. He says he'll have me back in about three weeks to discuss the results, then briefly explains the procedure and says he'll send a nurse in to get me prepared and he will be back to start soon.
12:00 PM - Nurse Nancy comes in to get me prepared for what's about to happen. Shortly after, the doctor is in, I am gowned up and laying on my side on a table and he is cleaning the area of my pubic bone right above my right butt cheek. Nurse Nancy tells me that what I smell is an alcohol swab and asks if I'd like on to suck on (gotta love the staff around here - if nothing else, everyone has a sense of humour). The doctor starts with the first needle. It hurts, then burns. This is the anaesthetic. Although you can't freeze bone, you can freeze the tissue around the bone which makes this procedure a lot less painful. He gives me a lot. Now its time for the fun part. I feel a poke and some pressure but it's not as bad as I expected. A few minutes in (longer than I was told the whole procedure would take) I am told the next part is really going to hurt - and it does. A lot. When it's all over Nurse Nancy explains that it took longer and was more painful than expected because they had to go a lot deeper into the bone then they normally do and was about to tell me actually how deep they went, but I stopped her - there are some things I just don't need to know. After the procedure, the doctor tells me that he doesn't want to wait three weeks, but will see me the next Wednesday and that I should be prepared to stay just in case.
1:30 PM - I am back at home to try to process this news. The change from 3 weeks to 1 does not sound like good news, nor does the possibility of a hospital stay. But no point stressing about it now, I'll know more in a week. I cuddle up with my puppy and watch some TV. I'm sore at the site of the bone marrow aspiration and just want to relax.
5:00 PM - The phone rings. It's the doctor I saw this afternoon. He says he has seen the results of the bone marrow and I have Leukemia. He doesn't want to wait until my appointment on Wednesday to start treatment. Now I have to wait for a call from the hospital telling me that there's room at the Inn.
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