Hi all, slight change of plan. Instead of going into get my blood tests done at Broomfield I’m going to see a haemo specialised with a view to possibly be transfused. It turns out my shade of pale is not ideal.

I partly blame myself mind. I’ve been crook since the first of Jan. Unable to climb the stairs first, and my heart rate popping up to 140 when I do. Occasional chillblains on the feet, palpitations pretty much constantly and difficulty in maintaining temperature when going to bed.

I did report this to the prof, but he didn’t seem to worry in his short answers on WhatsApp (which he had chosen as our means of communication). Still I should have started to complain a bit more when I started to have gaps in my vision last week. I think we were just keen to get vaccine out the way (which is booked tomorrow). The gaps in vision have been very annoying for reading or playing on the phone, which I do a lot.

Yesterday a friend, Sam, who is also a junior doctor, called up and he suggested I might have fallen through the cracks here. My next appointment was with the prof on the 20th, blood tests on the 19th and no medical professional had seem me since November. He suggested I think about going in for a transfusion from symptons as whilst my condition would lead to these symptons it would also be treatable and shouldn’t have progressed this quickly.

I messaged the prof last night, but still no response today, and also Doctor Murray, just on the off chance she thought this was a good or bad idea.

She was, again, brilliant, and ran me through my symptons, talked about the possible downside of getting a covid vaccine, if you didn’t have enough platelets to clot, getting covid in general and how I should have had treatment for severe anaemia before now. So we arranged late last night for me to go to a covid secure hospital in Ipswich today, (you get swabs before you go in) to get my blood tests and a possible transfusion if it was needed.

She also implored me to do nothing physical and said I was still coping with it, just, because if my marathon running a few years back. I cannot believe the extra leg work she put in, contacting old colleagues, to help me out. We agreed the plan and then it was time for a bad night’s sleep.

The night passed and I am due in Ipswich hopsital at 2. All being well I’ll try and get out for my vaccine for tomorrow am. No word from the professor, and fingers crossed we can sort out my platelets.

So anyway we will see what they say at 2pm. And then at some point we may get round to talk about my actual lymphoma treatment…. 🙂 but for now vaccine and getting rid of the anemia seen to be the priority.

Also, and , again it’s nice to have great guys in my corner. It means I can probably get both a transfusion and the jab in 24 hours, which would be great, and flagged up my lack of proactiveness just because I thought my specialist wasnt worried, not because he’s not overwhelmed in London. I should have pushed it sooner. Additionally I shouldn’t have deteriorated without questioning it, having had an hour walk news years day to being unable to leave my bed for 22 hours a day or so. Unable to climb stairs etc. I think, in my defence, some of it was down to pericarditis making me think I was just I’ll again, but that seems to have cleared out.

Still at least we are doing something about it now. 🙂