Long Day

Yesterday we left the house at 8am to go to the doctor for a blood test to see if my Dad needed blood. After getting the blood work we sat in the doctor's office for about 2 hours waiting for the results. He did need blood and platelets so we head to the hospital next door arriving there around 11:30. Since his platelets have to be HLA typed now so that he won't reject them they had to order them from a special source. While we were waiting for those they prepared my Dad to receive 2 units of red blood cells. These take a long time to administer. They finally started those around 1:00. He finished the red cell transfusion around 8:30 and we were still waiting for the platelets to arrive. They arrived around 9:30 and were set up by 10. He finished the platelet transfusion around 10:30. So we didn't get home until 11. It seems to me that they need a new process for handling these sorts of things. People who are really sick don't need to be waiting around for hours and hours. The beds and chairs they have in the rooms are not comfortable which makes matters worse when you are sitting for 12 hours. It was a long, exhausting day. He had to do this six times last week. Fortunately this week we have only had to go once.

I haven't asked the doctor what happens if he stops taking the transfusions. I know the answer but I just don't know what it means in terms of time frames and suffering. This is so difficult. My brother was supposed to arrive last night but he is still sick. I have been telling him for a week to go get this Chinese concoction that I took when I was sick but he didn't try to go get it until late yesterday and they were closed. Very frustrating. So he will come on Friday night or Saturday morning if he is better.

I miss my husband and my children. I wish that they could be here too but it would just be too much. As the hours pass by slowing I often feel very lonely.