A disturbing development.

Yesterday I had my coumadin level check. The NP suggested I go to the lab for some basic blood work. Last night, I got a call from the physician on duty. My white cell count was dangerously low. So low that I got an immediate referral to hemo/oncology and a warning that if I even feel slightly sick, get into an ER.

I dropped Kirsten off at work this morning (we were so tired after the Ikea trip yesterday that she elected to leave her car at the office overnight) and head to my office. Since I'm there way early, I call into the hemo/onc office to set up an appointment. I get told that they need to see me ASAP. The person I was speaking with said that my file had been noted as a possible transfusion patient. Yikes!

So I'm at home (there really was no point in staying at work for an hour then leaving) waiting to leave for my 1145 appointment.

Updates to follow.

No answers, but plenty of questions. As well as plenty of holes in me.

Saw my new hemo/oncologist today. Dr. Tai is a very pleasant man. I like him. He explained why my results were so troubling. No need for an immediate transfusion. After explaining in detail how the immune complex works, he then went over which of my parts have been knocked out.

Among the possible causes are Hepatitis B/C and Aplastic Anemia. There are a few other possible candidates, but those are the two most severe. But as of right now, I'm just going to soldier on.

There were two sucks today. First of all, the guy making my appointment gave me the wrong time. I was supposed to be seen at 1345, not 1145. There were two add-on appointments for Dr. Tai, and the clerk got us confused. The second came in the lab, where it took four techs five sticks to get blood. Ouch.

After to reading several articles about abortion..

.. I feel I should make my position clear.

I don't like abortion. I agree that every fertilized egg is a potential human life. I am opposed to abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or a threat to the woman's life or long-term health.

However, as I have a penis and testicles (true fact, I just checked) that decision is not mine to make. It is the decision of the woman, with advice from whoever she choses to trust on this matter.

This is the essence of being pro-choice. I want women, I want my nieces, to have options even if I disagree with those options. Freedom is not easy. Freedom means understanding that people will make choices that make your blood boil and accepting that this is their right.

I am actually a fairly conservative person. There are many things I just don't get. But I accept that people, including friends and family, have the right to make their own decisions for their own reasons and accept the consequences. That's what I want in my life, and I want nothing less for my fellow humans.