The drug overdose that nearly killed me

On Friday, 30 April, I almost died from a drug overdose of a prescription medicine. 

You often hear about people having similar experiences; but it my case, there’s a twist: the drug was prescribed by one of my doctors who ordered a dosage amount that was about sixteen-times more than he should have. In fact, it turns out that – considering my damaged kidneys – I should never have been prescribed this drug at all. 

A few days after I began taking this drug, I started to cough up blood. Copious amounts of it. I could not sleep on my back without aggravating my lungs into bleeding more. It appears the overdose caused the alveoli in my lungs to burst (causing the bleeding) which greatly reduced the ability of my body to process oxygen. 

The day I went into the hospital was – by coincidence – the day before I was to re-start my monthly chemo regimen. I called my chemo-doctor office to inquire whether – in light of my coughing up blood – I should hold off starting the chemo. Luckily for me, my chemo nurse, Leslie, told me to hang up the phone and go to the emergency department. 

(I’m stoic by nature. If I get a little sick or have a little injury, I just deal with it and move on. As I have joked a lot this past week, my arm would actually have to be severed from my body for me to think it was time to go to the hospital. ["Tis but a scratch," in the words of the Black Knight.] But, Leslie is a smart cookie. I respect her knowledge enough to know if she said it, I should do it.) 

So, my husband, Matt, dropped me off at the hospital Friday afternoon – where I was admitted almost at once. Upon examination, it turned out that I had lost so much blood that my hemoglobin level was 6.3 – below the acceptable 7.0 and far below the desired 8.0. So, the transfusions began, four units over the next week, trying to get my blood level up to where it should be. (Keep in mind that my bone-marrow cancer and damaged kidneys greatly reduce my ability to make new red blood cells.) 

After eight days in the hospital, I realize how very close to death I came, and how very lucky I had been to call my doctor and speak to Leslie.