Friday, June 19, 2015

just keep swimming

So much for my resolution to write regularly. Sometimes life takes a dive and its all you can do to stay afloat.
My kid started fainting. A couple trips to the ER and a couple nights admitted to Neuro and we still don't have many answers as to why. What we do know - she has a small congenital heart defect. A small hole between the upper two chambers it's an atrial septal defect called a patent foramen ovale. What we don't know is why she's fainting. The neurologist said it's small enough she shouldn't have problems from it, and hey, she's had it all her life. 19 years we didn't know.

I have cancer.
A myeloproliferative neoplasm.
Polycythemia Vera Rubra.

It's a slow-growing type of blood cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. Polycythemia vera may also result in production of too many of the other types of blood cells — white blood cells and platelets. These excess cells thicken your blood and cause complications, such as a risk of blood clots or bleeding.(Thanks mayo clinic).

Symptoms


  • Itchiness, especially following a warm bath or shower(yes, horribly so)
  • Headache(almost daily)uDizziness(yup, always been told its vertigo)
  • Weakness(yup, sometimes it just hits out of the blue and I just can't do it)
  • Excessive sweating(oh really bad. I've been blaming hot flashes)
  • Painful swelling of one joint, often the big toe(nope, I do have bad pain, especially in joints, but not gout)
  • Shortness of breath(only on exertion)
  • Breathing difficulty when you lie down(possible, likely have sleep apnea to)
  • Numbness, tingling, burning or weakness in your hands, feet, arms or legs(usually)
  • A feeling of fullness or bloating in your left upper abdomen due to an enlarged spleen(not, however my liver is enlarged and tender)
So I have a lot of symptoms and have awhile.
Life expectancy is 10-20 years. I'm 41.
I'm much higher risk of stroke. 
Life goes on.

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