Well, my platelets have fallen yet again (21) so I'm booked for a Bone Marrow Aspirate in 4 days time (Tuesday18th) to see what's going on. If that doesn't show anything then they may consider a Bone Marrow Biopsy (BMB) which involves taking a sample of pelvic bone as well as bone marrow. My consultant who is not prone to hyperbole said that they 'pin you to the wall' for a BMB - I've never been pinned to a wall before - doesn't sound much like fun!
The best news is that I've finally stopped Ciclosporin, the rather toxic immunosuppressant that I've been on since the middle of last year. As long as my insides behave then I'll not need it again. My weight remains stable but about 4kg (9lbs) below my pre-leukaemia weight - definitely 'a Thin Man'.
My folic acid level is a little low so as one tablet stops another one starts. After a year on a pregnancy diet (is that a record?) I'm now on tablets used before conception and during pregnancy. I know my new immune is female but I didn't realise the full consequences of this fact.
Karine rightly suggested I postpone an allergy clinic appointment because of the low platelets. I used to be allergic to shellfish but might have lost this allergy since the transplant and this appointment was to determine whether I am still allergic or not. At the moment this not a high priority and the skin testing could cause bruising and bleeding. I bruise more and more easily the longer the steroids continue and the lower the platelets fall.
I've got the go ahead for my next lot of infant immunisations and a flu jab. One of the antibiotics I regularly take has been stopped because it occasionally causes low platelets. In its place I have to have a monthly nebulised antibiotic in the Haematology Day Case Unit - trying to get away from the haematology department seems to be a lost cause at the moment.
Bob Dylan (Nobel Laureate) - "Highway 61 Revisited", track 5
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