I'm not going to complain...

I seem to get hit by the flu bug a little bit harder than most. I used to think I was just imagining it but this summer I was given confirmation from a specialist that yes, I do get sicker than most people. So shy is this you ask? well let me give you the long story:

Last summer I thought I might be pregnant again. Lack of sleep, constant urge to visit the bathroom etc etc. So I went in to see if there was indeed a little baby sister or brother brewing in my belly or not. Turned out not. But my Doctor, thorough as she is, sent me to get some blood work done to see what might be up.

Said tests came back with an extremely low white blood cell count. Worryingly low. Now the low white blood count was not new. I'd gone for 4 blood tests the year before because of low counts, each time the Doctor said that the result could be from a virus and then a new test would be given and eventually I stopped going because, well have you ever tried to keep a toddler occupied in a medical lab once a week for a month? After hearing that it was more than likely a virus I just figured I was getting minor bugs that were wearing me down.

Fast forward to End of July.

So the blood count was alarmingly low. so much so that I was told that if I caught a bug there wasn't a good chance of fighting off any kind virus if it came my way. More blood tests were ordered, and an appointment was set up with a specialist to see what was so awfully wrong. Scary right?

Right.

So I started a major hand washing campaign to fight off any germs that my lovely daughter and her sweet little friends may have about their adorable little persons and settled in to wait the month and a half until the specialist appointment. Then came the phone call from the hospital letting me know when the Bone Marrow Biopsy was to take place.

Wait , did I hear that right? Yup, BONE MARROW BIOPSY. I know, scary right? My stomach did a loopy loo. I was a little more than scared. Bone Marrow Biopsy pretty much goes hand in hand with major illness. While I kept a pretty calm exterior inside I was a bit of, as the cliche says: quivering Bowl of Jello. But I kept it together for husband and long distance parents and after the initial shock I got on with things. I mean if it was really bad I'd have to deal with it, but until I knew what it was I wasn't going to dwell on it night and day.

I figured at worst it would be cancer which I'd fight and beat. Second worst would be Lupus. It runs in the family and can be treated. My mom has it and she does pretty well. At the very least it could be a virus that I wasn't able to get over all on my ownsome.

The day of the biopsy rolled around and in I went, nervous about the pain and early enough to sit and stew about it. Would I recommend having one for kicks? Well not so much. The pain was pretty extreme and I felt twinges for a good month or so afterwards.

In my all time top moments of extreme pain list it sits at the top of the list tied with the botched spinal before Miranda's C-section (more on that in another post if I run out of things to talk about some day) I can feel a tiny scar where the needle went in now and I'm kind of glad it's there. After the biopsy came more stewing, only not too much because I was told that the results would also be sent in to my doctor and if anything serious came up she'd let me know.

Tests came in and my Doctor didn't need to see me. Deep sighs all around and then the wait for the specialist appointment.

So the gist of this lovely tale of viruses, blood tests and doctors appointments? Turns out I'm just fine. Due to a number of inherited medical problems I have an Auto-Immune disorder that causes my body to attack certain types of white blood cells. My marrow awesomely does it's job very well and just makes more for me, but it seems that I just had a blood test done when the fighting was fast and fierce, causing a little chaos. Oh and the icing on the cake. The specialist told me that had she seen the initial tests she wouldn't have needed the Biopsy (oops)

It was an experience, and as an artist I think it's pretty important to experience what ever is out there within limits. Would I have gone out and got me a biopsy if there hadn't been a need for it, just to have the experience? Noooooooooo. So it would seem that do offer a bugs and viruses little more time to party. If you listen closely you can hear faint strains of The Village People and KC & The Sunshine Band emanating from my stuffed head. Whoo Hoo!