The Spark Leading Up To The Fire

 As with all explosions, it always starts with a little spark.  With me, it was no different, what seemed minor and trivial turned out to be something massive. I have severe osteoarthritis and have regular visits to my rheumatologist.  This was one of those trips that I had to have a blood test just to make sure everything was working the way it was supposed to.   She comes back and says everything looks good except did I know I was little anemic? 

Anemic?!  Anemic people looked pale and thin, had no energy and laid around in bed all day.  Definitely not me, overweight, running around all the time, healthy except for some hypertension issues, but my white blood cell count number was 11,000 and the threshold is 9000 so I prance to my pharmacist, buy a bottle of iron and a bottle of B12 for good measure and reason that this will knock this out promptly.

During this time, I was on the Obamacare plan, and a snag hit...my doctor suddenly retired.  The thing about the ACA, you had to have a written referral to a specialist that is only good for a year; it's great insurance but has its quirks. I was running out of my regular medicines and promptly started applying to other doctors to take me.  It also meant that I was unable to follow up on the supposed anemia.  Rejection after rejection, about 10 to be exact.  Doctors hate Obamacare obviously.  Luckily, the nurse practitioner to my pain management doctor liked me (always be nice to your waiters and nurses, no, just be nice to everybody, it's just a good idea) and made a call to her friend who worked at her primary care office.  They agreed to take me...I'm back in business.  During this time, my spouse takes a job teaching high school because SOMEONE in some WHITE HOUSE wanted to get rid of my insurance.  We get school insurance and doctors LUV that insurance.  And I will find out I do too.  

My new doctor is great, I like him.  Personable, friendly and I could tell he was knowledgeable.  Did a FULL physical including THAT (and he has big hands...OUCH!).  No prostate cancer (and after it was over, it felt like no prostate either!). 

Then the blood test.   The number was 25,000 now within 2 months.  He wasn't happy at this.  I was self medicating with the iron but obviously something else was going on. He makes a call to a friend of his who is the head of the oncology/hematology center of the local hospital and makes me an appointment. 

I start to worry.