Turns out I have a cold. Not too bad a one, but it wears me out. I was thrown off by the fever Sunday night. The last fever I remember having was when I had a mega case of the flu at age 15 or so, which means that if I've had any more recently, they couldn't have amounted to much.
Blood results came back. White stuff is doing O.K.; red stuff needs to get its act together. Protein C Reactive is up (right; I'm sick) and CA-125 is down to 66.60!
My new chemo appointment is for Monday and I have to have more blood drawn on Friday. As well as -- get this:
When I had the transfusion, I was given a paper to tell me that, while the odds were against it, it was possible to be infected from the blood. Nothing very specific.
Yesterday, I received a letter and a prescription in the post. The letter explains that, since I had a transfusion, the prescription is for another blood test to check for antibodies. (We still have not mentioned HIV.)
First rate service, don't you think? Or are follow-up blood tests normal everywhere after transfusions?
Chicken soup and lots rest for you.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget our good friend BSE ;). I don't recommend researching all the possible diseases you can get from a blood transfusion.
Olga, your fellow moo-er
They didn't list what you could get from a blood transfusion? Here they list everything.
ReplyDeleteAnd follow up is not normal, not here.
Since it takes months sometimes to seroconvert if you do get that ol' unmentionable, getting a blood test immediately after would only show that you didn't have it before.
Karen
It's been six weeks. It will be nice to know I wasn't already HIV positive.
ReplyDeleteAren't they able to check blood for things like HIV, hepatitis or whatever, BEFORE they use it? I would have thought so anyway.
ReplyDeleteI got checked for HIV a couple of times - when entering the Navy, for one. Honestly I had never considered myself high risk but you know it's always possible unless you're quite chaste...it was nice to have it confirmed that I was HIV negative!
I thought the blood used in the US was tested before being given in transfusion.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better.
It is tested. The risk is very small.
ReplyDeleteKaren
Can't add much - when they gave Don blood after his aneurysm, they checked his blood for something or other every day he was in the hospital. He had the operation on Feb. 5, was in ICU until about the second week in March, then on 3/20 he was transferred to the PT unit at Tampa General (he was in Brandon). So those are the time frames...
ReplyDelete