Limit Frustration, Expand Optimism

So Monday comes and goes, and I optimistically go for my blood draw. I'm actually feeling better than the previous days as I get it done.

By Tuesday, my flu symptoms have subsided some. I still have the nagging, croupy  cough that makes my back and stomach ache with each clearing cough. The cough is starting to be productive, and I think that's a sign it's in it's final stage.

At 4:30pm, I get the call from my nurse as I'm driving to pick up my daughter, Linda is hesitant to tell me her "unfortunate news" and details while I'm driving. 

Concerned, I pull over for the discussion.

She tells me I have a rare virus for transplant patients, parvo virus. It is typically inconsequential for healthy people, but can cause chronic anemia in people with compromised immune systems. She's glad they found it and glad to find the source of my issues over the last two months.

I ask her as many questions as I can think of on the fly. Linda admits to me she's never had a patient with this virus and she doesn't know much about it. Dr Piper told her it comes from exposure to dog feces and that I need to receive treatment within 24-48 hours.

"What exactly is treatment?" I ask nervously, as she sounds pretty grave.

"You need to come to the hospital for an infusion Wednesday or Thursday." 

She explains, with limited info and success, that it is similar to a transfusion, but no blood is infused, only medicine. Parvo virus decreases the longevity of red blood cells created by bone marrow. The infused medicine will allow my immune system to fight the parvo, and she refers to the medicine as IVIG, an immunosuppressant.

She promises to email me my lab result ASAP and email me some additional info on parvo and IVIG treatment. We make an "appointment" to be checked in to the hospital on Wednesday once a bed becomes available.

I don't receive anything from her on Tuesday. I do my own research, and find things that are contradictory to what she told me. I'm frustrated as I'd like reliable info to make an informed decision. I also look up my old lab work and find that I tested positive for parvo virus on Feb 25, and no action was taken then. I remember quickly looking it up in Feb and reading that it was no big deal for most people, end of concern for me.

Ugh. I am disappointed. With growing frustration, I realize that someone decided it was important enough to test for(it hadn't been on any previous lab work), but it seems that no one followed up on the test results. AND I saw it, but took no action based on quick research. And then, I continued to have symptoms(translation: feel badly and get sicker) over the past 2 weeks.

I send Linda a reminder email for the information, and a follow email on my concerns about quick action on my discrepant lab results and how I can facilitate this. I do all I can to make it as non-accusatory as possible, especially when I feel it is.

So, I've taken proactive steps so I can get answers. Now I need to figure out how to get my kids taken care of Wednesday evening, get their bags packed and pack my hospital bag, too. Getting the kids taken care of will take creativity; they will both need to be picked up, my son has a very restricted diet(which means I need to pack everything he'll possibly eat), and the number or potential people I've got to lean on is VERY limited.

So, I'm signing off tonight, resolved to be proactive in finding answers for my newest dilemmas: my kids' care and my own confusing health situation.

To this end, I'm choosing to limit my frustration and expand my optimism.
Wish me luck!