Lost days

My mother, Rifka (Rebecca), in her teens. It was her hair that caught my father's fancy. She was pretty proud of it. In her later life she had short hair, but full and thick.

Dear Friends and Family,

With some effort I am going to try to catch up. While Barry and Laury were here last Monday, I was feeling sicker and sicker. On Tuesday evening I landed in North Shore Hospital for a blood transfusion. This was one of the unlucky confluence of events. I had been on a high dose of HU to help shrink my spleen. My Dr. K was on vacation for two weeks, but Joanna, her PA, was there the 1st week, and told me to reduce the HU considerably. The next week, she was out giving birth to her baby, and I was unable to reach the backup physician. By Monday, evidently my hemoglobin had reached a critical low. On Tues. when she got my blood report, I got a call from Dr. K., who had returned at last, telling me to get to the hospital. I could not wait till the next day to go to the stand-alone blood facility. Bad choice, but Dr. K says I had o choice. I was in a crowded ER from 7 p.m. till 4 a.m., and sometime in that period got the first pint of blood. Then I was admitted to the hospital with all the attendant woes of that bureaucracy. I got my second pint of blood around 1 p.m. and had to wait till 7 p.m.before they released me. That's Wed. On Thursday I began feeling congested. My O2 level was low, breathing was difficult, and I could barely move. I was seeing Dr. K at 4 p.m. on Friday. In spite of feeling in a fog I managed to work on editing a splendid paper by Harvey. How did I do that? I must go on automatic.

On Friday at about 5 p.m., Dr. K. told me I had liquid in my lungs. The hospital had forgotten somehow to put me on Lasix. What a chain of events! So home again after a stop in the drug store. Sorely miss not having Sonia this past week. What a difference. I don't have the energy for cooking or much else. But I knew some of you would be worried and wanted to explain it all to you. Now to bed. I am sure I will be fine soon.

Love,
Bernice