Bloody Monday

The room looked all too familiar, as I've been here countless times before. Mom was at the waiting room, while I waited for my doctor in one of those tiny, cold, examination rooms. I was reading E magazine, when I felt a warm fluid oozing through my left arm. I panicked. The gauze covering the blood test area was soaked. I ran to the lab and asked the nurse, "Is this normal?" She exclaimed, "No." She immediately took me back to the examination room, cleaned my arm, applied pressure, and put on a new gauze. I kept looking at the bandage in case it gets soaked again. I was relieved, but my body felt cold and weak. It was the shock wearing off.

Since I found out that I have low platelets, I've always been very careful about being cut or being injured in any way. I've been poked and prodded for the past two years but nothing conclusive has come out on what's causing my condition. Finally, Doctor H came in with my chart. He and the nurse talked as he came over to check on me. He sat down, apologized for being late, and told me that my platelets went down another 5000. I guess I was used to hearing this, as my platelets have been enjoying a roller coaster ride for the past two years - nothing new, but the bleeding occurrence was a first and it scared the shit out of me. As of now, there are no medications I can take to get my platelets count up, so Doctor H recommended that I should come back for another test in two months and all we should do is monitor my platelets. I nodded but deep inside, I was frustrated for answers. I looked at my arm. It stopped bleeding.

It was 3 PM, and Doctor H was my third appointment of the day. I took Monday off, and I was thankful I was able to cram three doctors' appointments in one day. Mom and I decided to relax in the afternoon. We thought we deserved some time to decompress, so we drove to the Washingtonian Waterfront which is about 10 minutes away from the clinic. It was rather a perfect, fall day. I thought, I shouldn't let this bloody Monday get me down, so off we went...

The bridge over the pond at the Washingtonian Waterfront. This is quite a charming place to shop, watch movies, and eat.

The Waterfront from a distance. They usually rent out boats during the summer. I've seen paddlers get soaked by that fountain, and it never fails to make me laugh.

Here's the sculpture of Puss-in-Boots at the Washingtonian Mall. There's also a Winnie-the-Pooh sculpture, but this one's my favorite.
Mom and I spent about three hours at the B&N and browsed through books and magazines. Somehow, I find the company of books soothing and friendly. I wanted to buy a couple of books, but I opted to just purchase one - "The Reluctant Fundamentalist."
Here's a great Mexican food restaurant in the area. They have excellent marinated, grilled beef accompanied by soft tacos and side dishes. Aside from the good food, the place is also brightly colored. You can see the Winnie-the-Pooh sculpture in front of the restaurant.