Yesterday evening, Mom called to say that she was spitting up blood clots and blood. I called Dr. Houston, and he suggested she go to the RMH Emergency Department right away to check her blood counts. I picked up Mom, and Pat, Samantha, and Chris met us at the hospital. They did a CBC and a chest-abdomen x-ray. Though the x-ray looked fine, the on-call doctor reported that it looked as though Mom had lost a unit or more of blood (later she said it could be up to 20%). This is particularly alarming, as the amount of blood she spit up was very small compared to what she is thought to have lost.
Due to her myriad blood issues, Mom was taken to St. John's Hospital in Springfield by ambulance. I was waiting in the room when she arrived at 3:20 a.m., and Pat was right behind her. She is on the oncology floor at St. John's, which is staffed by residents. Two residents have been in to see her since she arrived, and both have expressed their desire to order a CT. Unfortunately, any testing has to be approved by an attending physician. As a result, no tests have been ordered yet. Thus far, no one has any suggestions as to where the bleeding is coming from.
Her hemoglobin and hematocrit are low but are being monitored closely. Her Anti-Xa test also came back very low. We are awaiting Dr. Goswami's arrival this afternoon in hopes he can provide some direction for the other doctors. Donita Schrey stopped by this morning, and, as always, her friendly face is a welcome addition to Mom's stays in Springfield.
Really, we still don't have much news. We are hoping for a CT to be ordered soon. If the CT is inconclusive, they will likely do an endoscopy procedure later today. We will keep you updated.
As always, your prayers, thoughts, and good vibes are appreciated.
Written/Posted by Jenn.
No comments:
Post a Comment