Rewind to Wednesday. The docs knew that I had to be out for an unmissable event on Thursday, so they started to prop me up with meds and bloods. Despite having had over two weeks of advance notice, it all started a bit late in the afternoon. I needed another bag of platelets, and you know how well that can go. I figured that the delay was because of the transit time from Sheffield, but no, it was more intriguing than that. A bag turned up and the infusion was started, with pretreatments that I shouldn't have needed for HLA-matched stuff. I wasn't as alert as usual, and the bag content was half in when I sussed that it was the second bag from "Dodgy Sunday", and that a certificate had been obtained declaring it to be a "B2" match, IIRC.
It didn't take long for my temp to start rising. No S&Bs this time, but well over 38C so clearly not a great match after all.
Then a surprise present... I needed reds. 2 bags. Over 4 hours minimum. I was eventually discharged sometime around 22:00, still sporting a temperature as high as that which should trigger a call to the emergency line when recovering at home. I was to use my common-sense, and was expected to attend Day Ward on Friday morning as it was certain that I would need more infusions.
Fast forward to Friday and I was in Day Ward as instructed, overnight kit at the ready just in case. Blood tests indicated that I needed platelets but they had none that were suitable so Friday was a waste of a day. I was sent home with the instruction to attend again on Saturday, by which time the platelets would be available.
Saturday did indeed see me getting platelets. Seems like they couldn't find any suitable at Sheffield, the ones I was given came from Liverpool. The Day Ward staff inserted a cannula without encountering any problems and the infusion was a doddle, no raised temps, no S&Bs. During the clean-up I was asked when I'd be in again. I hadn't a clue, I had assumed that the plan would be unfolded on Saturday, but no. The Day Ward staff did some phoning around, but nobody knew what the post-Saturday plan was.
And so I went home without a plan but with plenty of time to watch the rugby.
I am to wait in for a phone-call on Monday morning, so I'll expect a call in the afternoon.
