Anemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body’s tissues. Having anemia can make you feel tired and weak. There are many forms of anemia, each with its own cause. Anemia can be temporary or long-term, and it can range from mild to severe. The Mayo Clinic via Google.

I am in Sequoia Hospital – I know, again -and I feel better than I have in months. It now seems that my problem is that I am seriously anemic. That is both the good news and the bad news. The good part of the news is that we – we being a bevy of doctors – now know what is causing my shortness of breath although the anemia is probably more of a fellow traveler, along with a replacement heart valve that is ending its useful life and lungs that are pretty trashed, the bad part is that nobody knows what is causing the anemia, although there are theories. As the various theories are being tested and explored, I got a blood transfusion, iron injections, and heavy-duty Lasix injections to lower my water level.

One theory was that I had an ulcer but that lost favor after testing, another is that my esophagus is chafing against some other, nearby, body part. My gastroenterologist will perform an endoscopy on Friday to explore that theory. Still another theory is that my deteriorating heart valve is the culprit (both Michele and I are in that camp). Meanwhile, I am sitting/lying all day long with a constant parade of doctors, bored enough to watch My Fair Lady on Netflix.