Transplant 2 Day 7

The  days start to take a familiar pattern here in the isolation unit.  Depending on the nurse I will get blood work at 5 a.m or 6 when I get my first IV treatment started. Ideally I have slept well before then and can fall asleep again for an hour or more.  Get it when you can here is the motto.  This morning the nurse comes in again at 7.30 with my blood numbers and informs me that I need two units of blood.  But no platelets even though the numbers and protocol calls for for a transfusion.  She takes another sample of blood to be sent to the Blood Bank for analysis.  They are going to try to match me to a specific donor by HLA typing.  Human leukocytic antigen. The hematologist came in later to explain it more fully.  I am not getting a good bump from my platelet transfusions and they think the majority of them do not last long in my body.  I am building a resistance to them so a more accurate matching needs to take place.  Until then I am limited in movement to protect myself.  They will give transfusion for known bleeds.  I had been concerned about lack of response to red cell transfusions, shows how little I know.

I had a 3 hour fast late morning in order to take the CT scan ordered last Thursday on my abdomen especially the liver and gall bladder.  Spent another hour in the waiting area because of a paediatric emergency.  Had to drink a litre of "super juice" and needed an IV in the hand for marking agent at scan time.  It will be a day for results.

Had a visitor this morning and another late this afternoon.  A good day.  I am ready to crash again.  Hard to imagine that this would be my regular attempt at night sleep.

Our devotions tonight, a quote again from Spurgeon. "A child of God is not expected to be a stoic, for God's grace takes away the heart of stone.   When we endure trials, we feel the pain. Do not ask to be made hard and callous, for this is not how grace works.  Grace makes us strong to bear trials, but we still have to bear them.  Grace give us patience and submission, not stoicism. We feel, and we benefit by the feeling. In full surrender to His divine will, say with Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him" Job 13:15