About half an hour into my trying to sleep - I was out for the count most of the time, thru pain and weakness, tho I don't think I had much real sleep, if that makes sense.
The nurse who had stabbed me in the wrist had not managed to get much blood out, and the lab had sent it back an hour later, asking for me. So she had a long difficult try again and got some, and I tried to settle back down.
Till I woke with four nurses round my bed. One immediately took two full syringes of blood. My immediate thought was "that is them taking blood to cross-match for a transfusion"
(when I've had babies, there have been worries I might bleed, and I know the procedure whereby they get blood to the lab to be cross matched and typed and ready -looked very much the same procedure in Belgium)
What's up I asked. Mumble mumble, no one wanted to say too much. It wasn't a language gap, just an information one. Finally I asked what my last hb had been. No answer.
Then she told the other nurse in Dutch - and I do know a tiny bit of Dutch, having lived there for 5 months one summer as a student 20 yrs ago) - and I asked straight out did you say it is down to 8?
Yes, my hb was down to 8, and she said, it is now necessary that we give you blood, but also maybe re operate. (thankfully the Ultrasound doctor had warned me about this, so it wasn't the shock it might have been)
Ok I thought, I'll have blood. I got the impression I was to be given blood, then wait an hour or two, then think about re-operating.
Wrong again, I'm afraid.
I did not have time to ring dh before they ran my bed back into theatre. No blood yet, reoperate first apparently.
CBD joined the team pushing my bed and explained that he thought one of the keyholes had not closed properly and was leaking too much blood, he'd have to re-sew it. Nasty thought.My stiches had been healing for 12 hrs now he wants to cut them open again?
I asked him several questions about how much blood loss I had, how he was sure it wasn't an artery/vein leaking or that he hadn't nicked an organ during surgery. I also wanted to know my current hb and bp, as well as risk factors and other possible complications. . .
He looked at me quizzically and asked if I had a medical background when I asked all these questions. I said no, I just like to research a lot. (I was going to add that knowledge is power, but he didn't look like he wanted that kind of response)
I asked was my life in danger, he said no, not now, but if he'd left me till the morning it would have been. "So that is why we operate now"
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