Living with Hereditary Spherocytosis
Drawing Blood
Growing up as a child, I can remember being sick quiet often. Medical doctors always told my parents that I just had a bit of anemia and I would outgrow it. They would put me on vitamins constantly. I never knew until I was pregnant with our first child that I had Hereditary Spherocytosis. Being in my 20th week of pregnancy, I was admitted to the hospital with bronchitis. During this hospital stay, they informed me of a test that they were concerned about. This test had showed positive for Hereditary Spherocytosis. In 1987, this was so rare that they had to dig out medical books and go over it to be able to explain it to me. I was, at that point, very critical. My spleen had enlarged to the size of a football. Without a splenectomy, my baby would not survive. My baby was getting very little oxygen and his lungs were behind schedule in forming. They had decided that my baby would have a higher survival rate if they waited a few more weeks. So I was given steroids to increase his lung capacity for 6 more weeks. At 26 weeks, I had my splenectomy. My baby was born premature at 32 weeks and lived to be 19 days old.
Living with Hereditary Spherocytosis can certainly change one’s life. When you have this disorder, you are constantly worried about getting sick because you know that your body can’t fight for itself like others. You have a weaker immune system without your spleen to help you fight off antibodies. Usually, when I get sick, I’m sick longer than normal. Most people have colds that last for a week; mine usually sticks around for a month. After the splenectomy, I no longer have to worry about having anemia but there are many more things that have to be worried about. I now have the threat of blood clots, since I have no spleen to filter my blood. After giving birth to my second child, I was treated for 2 years for a major blood clot. Since then, I have had to take an aspirin a day to avoid clots.
Now I am 42 years old and have a beautiful family. I have lived knowing that I have this disorder for 23 years. I am living proof that you can survive this disorder. With the help of God, my husband, and my 2 wonderful sons, I have survived and lived a very blessed life.
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