READER SUBMISSION

BLOOD transfusion
The E M P A T H

..The morning started off early with dropping the kids off at school and then making my way to the hospital for my blood transfusion. I was surprised to check in and be told that my room was ready and they walked me to a regular room and told my husband and I to make ourselves at home. Because I was wearing comfy clothes, they didn't even make me change into a gown! So I laid in bed with some nice warm blankets and hubby settled down into the recliner and they started the IV. It took awhile for them to bring me my blood because they hadn't done a cross check on my blood and that took an extra hour and then the blood came.

..I was a nervous wreck about the blood going in me and the nurses were being so sweet about everything. And then what made me even more nervous was that I could not only taste the saline from the IV, I could then taste the blood and actually feel it as it circulated in my body (including my eye veins). What was even more almost scary for all of us was that my blood was making odd noises... almost an electric/vibration type noise that had us all staring at one another. They said they never heard of anything.

..We all blamed it on the empath in me because a normal person should not be that in tune to the body and the circulatory system, but how I explained to them how I felt it move was exactly like they said the anatomy ran (and sorry...I never took that class!). Because I was on clear liquids today, the nurses were nice about bringing me anything that went under that category...and even made me some iced tea. I finally fell asleep around 1:00 p.m. and had some bizarre dreams, waking up to a spirit of a young woman standing over me. I looked to see if the husband saw her, but he was snoring away. She said her name was Tanya and that she had just recently passed, but that she didn't have family that much cared. I felt so bad for her, but she didn't want to have anything to do with going to the light and continued to sit with me throughout my stay there. She kept stroking my right hand and saying that we would've been friends if she had known me.

..I thought that was sweet and made me feel even more bad. The second pint took FOREVER! IT should've been 2 hours for each pint and the second took almost 4 hours and by that time the nurses were trying to convince me to just stay the night. But, between the ghosts, the uncomfy bed, my fear of hospitals (see ghosts) and wanting to take a hot bath, I again opted to come home and just go back there at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow.

..They took my I.V. out and hubby went to get the car. I put my coat and shoes on and went to sit in the wheelchair and had this feeling that something wasn't right. I told the nurse to wait, stood up and took off my coat. And once again, like the time before, I stood in a puddle of blood leaking from my arm. They quickly took care of it and I was off to go home..where I am now! I am shocked that I have pink in my cheeks and I actually look tan. Really... not ghost white!

..As I mentioned in my previous post, the blood transfusion went just fine, besides for the last pint taking forever and an odd electric/sizzling noise coming from my blood when I got the first pint. I always said I was electric, but geesh. :) We had to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. and I had my form telling me exactly where to go. I told C (aka hubby) that I was supposed to go to main hospital, but the paperwork and the nurse who phoned told me Ambulatory. So, we parked at Ambulatory only to discover that nobody was there yet. So we waited. And waited. And I started to get emotional as we waited some more. Finally, at 6:35 a.m. the doors opened and the receptionist asked my name. " Kristy Robinett? We don't have your paperwork. You sure you have the right day?" Panic. Panic. Umm. " Yes, April 30th at 6:30 with Dr. Kreske and Dr. Archer," I said with a fake smile on my face. " You are scheduled for the hospital, my dear."

..And off we ran. C dropped me at the door as I was now almost 15 minutes late and the lady knew exactly who I was and called surgery immediately to let them know that I was found. The nice gentleman asked if I wanted to walk or if I wanted a wheelchair. Walking was my choice. So we went to the 3 floor of the hospital where he acted more like a tour director than someone taking me to surgery.

.."On your left you will see the new tower that we are building. And here is the lobby where you can use your computer and any other electronic equipment. and over here is our newborns." (Ouch...good thing I was done with having the babys). Before we knew it, we were being thrown directions from everywhere. A beeper, where the bathrooms were and how to change the tv channel. It wasn't 5 minutes after we sat down that I was whisked away into a private pre-op room and an IV started. First off they blew a vein and I began to bruise from my hand to my shoulder, so they had to go in the left hand. Ouch. I signed more paperwork, received hugs from my appendix surgeon and introductions from his staff and then a hug from the OB/GYN and introductions to her staff. I realized that they hadn't called C back like they promised and I asked if I could see him. Seconds later he was there giving me a kiss and I was given the sedative. I was trying to be funny because the doctor asked if I had metal implants and I told him only from what the aliens put in me, but our medical technology wouldn't find it. He laughed and said that in over 10 years he had only heard that once before. On the drive down the hallway to surgery we chatted about how roller coasters scared us the more adult we were and then B L A M, all went black...

..I woke up in the recovery room with a nurse over me asking what my pain level was. It was a 0. I didn't feel anything, which scared me. And then the pain came fast and furious. The first thing I did was reach down to feel my appendix scar only to find nothing there. The nurse laughed and said that the surgeon took it out of my c-section scar and so I would only have one to worry about. And it was a huge relief. Before I knew it, I was being taken to my room to rest and told that C and family would be there. But nobody was there and that is when the tears started to come. I actually had to find the phone and call C's cell phone and my dad's cell phone and tell them that I was in the room. And what a room it was....plasma tv, hardwood floors, comfy bed with big blankets, private bathroom with a walk in shower and two recliners for those visitors who wanted to nap. Niiiice. The nurse told me that I was only allowed ice chips until the morning and would get more of something once the catheter was removed (again, which would happen in the morning). I asked her if I could sit up and do stretches and she asked me what I was talking about. I reached for some crystals and was about to mention crystal therapy and reiki when she stopped me and told me that she would even help... and so we did a healing on me that was vibrant.

..By this time, I have a pump of pain meds and they are also I.V.ing Benedryl and Torodol and I have an Estrogen and a nausea med patch on. And I couldn't stop itching that I thought I was going to cry. I looked down at my chest and saw it. Hives. Hives everywhere there had been latex or medical bandage. As the night progressed, the hives got worse so by the morning they took the catheter out (ya!) and took the pump off and told me to take a shower and they would switch my pain med in case that was it. The shower felt like a million bucks and I was eager to smell like a pretty girl again. My incision was stitched, so I was able to wash it and not worry about darn staples. I put on my own nightgown and laid down and surfed the net, with heavy eyes. Unfortunately, sleep didn't come easy because I kept itching and I couldn't sleep. So they deducted that I stop the Benedryl to see if that was wiring me and to give me Percocet. Not a good idea. The Percocet became an enemy of me and my eyes swelled up and the hives and rash progressed even worse. So...they put me back on Benedryl and gave me Motrin and Tylenol 3s. Visitors came and went, which helped keep my mind off of the itching. Flowers, cards, phone calls, texts....thank you all! Nighttime finally came and I still wasn't sleeping so they told me that they would give me a sleeping pill and I was grateful.

..That was until 1:00 a.m. when I woke up to my husband being on the other side of the hospital room with my kids, telling me to follow him. I was so irritated because why would he have the kids there at 1 am and where were we going. I slipped on my robe, put some slippers on and dragged my IV out the door. When I got to the hallway, I noticed that it was bare and nobody was there. So I went down the hall about 3 doors and whispered asking him where he was. He said to open the next door on the left. Fear rose in me and I stopped in my tracks. None of it made sense and I felt like I was caught in a Friday the 13th movie. I turned around to see a nurse coming down the corridor and I stopped her and told her that I thought I was sleepwalking. She helped me back to bed and told me to be careful. Easy for her to say. I curled back into the bed and looked at one of the recliners that was rocking ever gently, my tv came on by itself and lit the shadowy figure. My mom. I asked her what she was doing and she laughed and said watching soap operas because she hadn't seen her stories in forever. She got up, kissed me on the forehead and told me to go to sleep, that she would make sure that I didn't get up again. I slept. And I didn't get up, but I know I talked to her all night long because my voice was gone by the morning. And so was mom.

I felt much better now that we were on my 3rd day and the surgeon said I was doing fantastic and would let me go home if I wanted. And I did. So, here I am, snuggled in my own bed, minus any random ghosts (knock on wood!) and enjoying the comfort of hearing my husband and dad snoring, the kids arguing and the dogs barking. I am home and it feels so good!

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