T + 8. Fuck that for a Game of Soldiers (# 1)

27/02/2013

27/02/2013
Hb:     8.3   (-0.1)
Wbc:  0.20 (+0.04)
Ntl:     0.18 (+0.4)
Plt:     15    (+8)

Weight: 80.2 kg

28/02/2013
Hb:     7.9   (-0.4)
Wbc:  0.11 (-0.09)
Ntl:     0.07 (-0.11)
Plt:     8       (-7)

Weight: 81.3 kg



I decided to amalgamate 27/02 and 28/02 because not a lot happened yesterday, I was pretty thoroughly doped up to relieve the mucusitis and spent the day sleeping or staring at things.

Events got a little more interesting this morning at about 5.30am when I woke up with a bad case of the rigors/shakes which kept up for about two hours. Temperature went up to 39.8 degrees and things got a little bit fraught - Nurse Mai whacked some Pethedine and Antibiotics into my Hickman, which to my huge relief stopped the shakes within about 20 minutes. I have never felt so out of control of my own body - there was nothing I could do to stop the shakes and my teeth nearly rattled out of my head. It's now midday and the cocktail of Pethedine and Oramorph is just starting to clear from my head - can feel the fogginess lifting by the minute. The thinking on what went on is that the steroids I'm taking have masked an infection of some sort, so I've had multiple blood samples taken for blood cultures to check into what caused the little episode.

Nurse Fatimah just came in to see me and it sounds like I'm getting a complete top up today  - a couple of units of blood, some platelets, magnesium and phosphates. As you can see from the figures above, apart from Hb all my other blood content is now pretty much shot away so hopefully its onwards and upwards from here on in (unless it's not hehehehehe).

I have got a dirty great big haematoma on my left arm from where they took some blood direct from the vein earlier today (rather than the Hickman)- it's a really strange matt dark purple colour like when an old person gets a black eye  about the size of the 'O' you can make by rounding your forefinger onto your thumb- and down to low platelets.

Although my tongue is till sore, I think my mouth may be getting a bit better - I had lumps right cross the roof of my mouth yesterday which have now gone and the painkillers seem to be lasting longer, which may hint at less inflammation in the first place - the tongue does however still look like an albino toad's back - yum. 

I applied to the blogging Adsense team to put advertisements on the blog in the hope of raising a little cash to donate back to MDS/AA causes but the buggers have knocked me back without leave to appeal. I was told to go away and read the terms and conditions governing content and can only assume that the references to pharmaceuticals and my love of Anglo-Saxon has pissed the snooty pricks off, although it's not recreational drug use and all instances of cussing are strictly necessary to convey atmosphere <ahem>.

There is another very easy way to donate if any blog readers would like to - via a text message to the Anthony Nolan Trust. These guys would have been my next port of call had my Sis not been found to be a suitable donor and their work is absolutely life saving. If you text the word Hope to 78866 then you will be making a one off no strings donation of £3 to the Anthony Nolan Trust  - it's all kosher and is advertised on the telly - not some little 409 scam that I've cooked up!