It’s Just Allergies (one week pre-hospital)

8 days PRE hospital

Here is my first journaling entry. 

August 24, 2017

Here’s how it happened.

Monday.

Finally made a doctor appointment. I’ve felt awful all summer. Allergies are brutal. Antibiotics from the Little Clinic did nothing. Plus, I needed an annual exam for some time now. I was just putting it off.

Tuesday.

Call from the doctor. Need more blood work. Low white blood cell count and low thyroid. Great… low thyroid. Now what? Change in diet? Meds? Google. Low thyroid. Click. Scroll. Click. Google. Low white blood cell count. Click. Scroll. Click. Hashimoto’s. Yup. Must call friend. She’ll tell me what to do/ what to eat. Should I go eat some donuts now before I get the results?

Wednesday.

Doctor wants to talk to me in person about the results. I feel like everyone I know has a low thyroid. Can’t they just diagnose over the phone. Whatever, I’m sure they want to go over options. Now, choices. Do I give up bread forever or do I go on meds? Or both? Google. Pinterest. Low thyroid diet. Click. Scroll. Click.

Doctor office. Something something something. Whilte blood cell count is really low. Something something something. Blasts are baby white blood cells that are leaving your bone marrow. Not good. Something something something. Oncologist. Leukemia. Oncologist.

Wait… what? Cancer? That’s a lot different from Don’t Eat Bread. She was supposed to tell me to stop eating bread.

Google. Leukemia. Click. Scroll. Click.

My bones don’t hurt. Or is that what the collarbone thing was all about. Or the foot pain. No, my bones don’t hurt. It would be worse if I had Cancer. It would be worse.

Also. I don’t bruise easily. Not really. Those tiny bruises on the spot where they drew blood don’t count. Everyone does that. Seriously, they aren't even bruises really.

Night sweats. I definitely don’t have that.

See. No cancer.

F. Please don’t make me get a bone marrow biopsy. I just really DO NOT want to do that.

Thursday

I’m feeling better. Yes, I’m feeling better. It’s nothing. I’m sure of it.

Ok, so I still can’t really breathe out of my nose. Whatever. I have way too much stuff going on to get Cancer now. We have fun stuff planned. This is not happening.

No really. This. Is. Not. Happening.

It’s fine. Going to get more test results. All will be normal. They’re going to tell me to just stop eating bread. Yes. That’s what will happen.

F. Why does it take so long for a referral? Why would anyone want to sit with this information for 5-7 days before more tests are administered? Seriously? WTF!

	WBC	RBC	Blasts	Neutrophils
Normal Range	3.8-10.8	3.96-5.31	5%	1500-7800
8/21/2017	1.4	3.52	16	392

And because blogs are just better with pictures. Here are some pre-cancer diagnosis.

August 12, 2017. Bowling with the birthday boy (Zach, the bald one!)

August 15, 2017. Hiking with my boys.

August 21, 2017. The day of my first primary care doctor appointment and blood draw. Solar eclipse day. Watching the eclipse with my buddy Ollie at his school.

August 27, 2017. Family time at the neighborhood pool after the boys all competed in a mini mini triathlon.

September 1, 2017. My first oncology appointment. Zach took the day off to go with me. We went for breakfast first, Snooze, the pancakes are just so yum! At this point, I still did not think I had or would be diagnosed with Leukemia. I was very confident that they would redraw blood and my levels would go up. I was sure it was just a fluke in the test.

Will update again soon.
Love & Light.
😷😘 michelle