When I was approximately 10 years of age I was admitted to the Calgary Children's Hospital to have my tonsils and I believe my adenoids taken out. There are only a couple things I remember about that visit but they are memories that feel like it could have just happened yesterday. 1) I remember waking up in recovery starring straight at a teenage girl that was topless (I'm pretty sure my eyes went as big as saucers) and she was vomiting and a tube was being shoved down my throat (or so it felt like). 2) Being in my hospital room sitting up vomiting blood over and over again into a metal dish. I can still remember the taste and smell of the blood. Yuck, yuck, yuck! I threw up enough blood that I had to have a blood transfusion for 1 unit of blood.
Almost 30 years later I found myself not vomiting blood but losing an extreme amount of blood over a short period of time. Enough to warrant a somewhat emergency total hysterectomy (removal of uterus and cervix) and salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tubes). I had just received my IV and the surgical room was being prepared when my anesthesiologist took one look at the blood work I had had done that day and quickly cancelled surgery. My hemoglobin levels were sitting at 79. Apparently they're supposed to be around 125. Only 4 days prior my levels were sitting at 103 - it was dropping fairly rapidly. The levels were so low now that should there have been complications I wouldn't have had any excess blood to help me. Overnight hours were spent receiving the 2nd blood transfusion in my life only this time for 3 units of blood.
I don't think I'll ever forget that my blood type is A Positive!
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