It’s a pretty regular occurrence for Namine to need a blood draw. It’s also no big deal to them; it used to be, since by its very nature it’s painful. But some time ago now, they decided they had nothing to fear from it. So long as the phlebotomist is willing to let Namine say when to insert the needle — and that’s never been a problem — having their blood taken is just a mundane fact of their life.
Namine’s blood draw this time was needed to, among other things, continue monitoring their liver function. This is important because Fontan-associated liver disease is a known thing; as a result of their third heart surgery, a multitude of liver complications can arise. So far, nothing has, but this is precisely why their cardiologist’s team continues to monitor.
Namine’s blood draw was taken in the morning, after which we went about our day. When we were just getting back into town that evening, Jessica received a call from the hospital. Namine’s labs had come back, and with alarming results. If they were to be believed, then it was possible they would soon experience the start of liver failure.
Since we were just a few blocks from home, we quickly packed a suitcase of clothes and brought our laptops for work. I’ve worked from the hospital before, and we wanted to be prepared for a lengthy stay. We then left for the ER, where they would take Namine’s blood and repeat all the labs done that morning.
The emergency department knew to expect us, and we got settled in a room fairly quickly. Namine’s blood was drawn again, although by the time it was done they felt more like a pincushion than a person, and waited for the results to come back. When they did, they came back completely normal. The doctors concluded that Namine’s lab results from that morning must have gotten corrupted, somehow. We all breathed a sigh of relief that their liver is still healthy, after all.
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