Of course Namine was thrilled to get her chest x-rayed. She treats it like her very own photo shoot, and smiles every time. During the blood draw, though, I expected tears. Whimpering, maybe, or even some shakiness in her voice. But no; nothing. She knew what was happening, and she was in control. She told me that it would hurt for a moment and then it would be over. She even told the tech to hurry up and do it: “One, two, three, go!”
The x-rays and the blood samples, of course, were all to tell the doctors how she’s doing – if she had any fluid around her lungs, how her INR is, all that fun stuff. The good news is that she does not have any fluid in or around her lungs, but her INR is indeed much higher than it should be. As a result, the coumadin dosage is being decreased.
The one remaining issue, then: the repeated opening of Namine’s chest incision. It was confirmed by Mike, our well-known and beloved physician’s assistant, that it keeps opening and bleeding because of the high INR. Before the appointment was over, we were given some dressings for over the weekend. It should be closed up again for good by Monday; if not, we’re going back to the hospital.
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