Starting at the beginning of 2011, I was working for Liberty in North Korea, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to helping North Korean refugees, and educating the public about their perils. I was the Booking Coordinator, helping schedule documentary screenings across the country, working 70+ hour weeks, but loved every minute of it.
In mid-February, I started feeling generally unwell, but didn't think much of it. I had a whole slew of doctor's appointments, both for GI stuff and other health issues at the time. The problem was that I was living and working in Torrance, CA, but seeing doctors in Thousand Oaks, CA, an hour or more drive (through LA traffic) away. One of the doctors noticed that I was pretty severely anemic - nothing new for me - but had my GI check for internal bleeding just in case. Lucky me, no bleeding was found...
A week later (March 11), I was in a lot of (abdominal) pain, was feverish, and my mom convinced me that I needed to go to the hospital to get checked out. I had texted in the morning to ask what appendicitis pain felt like, and got a call telling me to go to the nearest ER! I agreed (tearfully) to go. Bridget, one of my coworkers at the time drove me down the street to Torrance Memorial Hospital, and my mom hopped on a plane out to LAX. Bridget took my car to pick up my mom, then stopped by the Nomad house (where we were living) to pick up some supplies and home comforts for me, since I had gone to the ER straight from work.
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| Torrance Memorial Hospital Emergency Entrance |
"Abnormality of the terminal ileum and of the sigmoid colon . . . There are small fluid collections within the pelvis in association which could represent small microabcesses. Thickening of the wall of the appendix. This probably represents reactive edema secondary to the inflammatory reaction within the pelvis rather than representing superimposed appendicitis."The ER docs started me on IV antibiotics, and I was placed on a "clear, liquid diet," which essentially consisted of water and broth.
On my first overnight in the hospital, my Hemoglobin (blood test for iron levels) went from 10.5 (lower than the typical 12.0-16.0) to an even lower 8.3. There was a lot of discussion about what should be done to address that, as that was a clear indicator of severe internal bleeding. They tested to determine my blood type so they could be ready for a transfusion, then retested my iron levels 6 hours later. Luckily, my levels stabilized had stabilized to 8.8, still low, but not dropping further, so no need for a blood transfusion.
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| Hemoglobin: a red protein responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood of vertebrates. Its molecule comprises four subunits, each containing an iron atom bound to a heme group. |
- Elevated platelet count (692 at admission, compared to a normal range of 140-440);
- Elevated white blood cell count, which went back to normal after 3 days of IV antibiotics;
- Elevated red blood cell count, which remained high throughout my stay; and
- Fun fact: my blood type is A negative.
My first hospitalization was an interesting experience, to say the least. I was in the hospital for 5 days, had several visitors from work, and sadly, had to miss a fun Vegas weekend. This is an extreme version of missing out on activities because of this disease, but I have missed my fair share of fun due to unruly symptoms - but more on that later.
One memory that has stuck with me was about 1/2 way through my stay. I was taking oral pain medication throughout my stay when I requested it. There was one day when I started having severe abdominal pain, so much pain that I was crying. I called for the nurse, who informed me that I couldn't have another dose for at least an hour. I understand why they didn't want to give me a dose early, but boy was that a rough hour before I could get some relief. I just had to GUT IT OUT.
Upon discharge, I was given instructions to continue taking my previous medications, and start taking some new ones. My prescription list was up to 9 different medications - but more on that later. I took a few additional days off of work, worked from home for a couple of days, and then got right back into it.
This year, I am once again taking part in Team Challenge. I will be doing a Race in Orange cycling event on April 7 with Tina, then participating in the Lake Tahoe Triathlon at the end of August for my 10 year anniversary of being diagnosed. You can support my fundraising efforts for these two events here.
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Stay tuned for Part 3: Medications
