Venesection HO!!!!

So, I do seem to have got the hang of not passing out or crying during venesection & it's a great excuse to eat mars bars & drink coke!!
Apart from that, it's still not nice and I'm still monthly so obviously ferritin levels aren't going down that quickly and this month I'm feeling no where near as well as I have after the other venesections.  Waking up with headaches and sore eyes I thought was a thing of the past but, hey ho, we'll see!!
On Facebook I've found this, very interesting but not very used.  I'll keep an eye on it and let you know if it gets any busier.

Oh & after a visit to the GP  re my earth-shattering snoring I've also discovered that sleep apnoea is  a symptom of both haemochromatosis & an underactive thyroid!! I have to have a sleep study and could end up with having my driving license pulled if the results are concerning enough.  This is just never ending!!  I'm going to stop going to the GP, I seem to catch a lot when I go!!


So, bleed well and I'll chat next month.


Lyn

And so we continue

Eating a large Mars bar and drinking 500ml of coke does seem to help with the whole process. Second venesection I've done this and the second one that has been horrible but I've not fainted/thrown up/cried, so I feel it's working.
My levels are still going down but not as quickly as before so I'm still on monthly ones, which isn't favourite but the doctor doesn't want to see me again until April 2012.  That's something at least.
Liver chappy isn't happy with me as I put on 1.5kg and am meant to be losing weight, oops.  So, I'm going to go to yoga on a Monday and try to fit in Pilate's on a Wednesday.  I am absolutely not joining a gym.  I've never stuck to going to the gym but I have always hankered after yoga/Pilate's.  Also, my nephew, who is studying sports science, has said that this will help with my NHS approved running programme (here). So I may be getting better after all, I'll keep you posted as always!!


I feel I should develop a catchphrase sign off, I'll probably go for one stolen from a Sci-Fi film or book but for now, bye!!!

I forgot to tell you about the last venesection!!!

So, after talking to a couple of friends who give blood regularly, I decided I would be proactive in the 'not fainting' stakes.  During the day prior to my venesection I made sure I drank 2 litres of water and an hour before I drank a half litre of coke & ate a mars bar, going for sugar overload.
The whole experience was better than previous ones, I didn't feel sick or nearly faint, which is a vast improvement.
Although I would have been even better if I hadn't had an old dear next to me who seemed determined to make me feel better, despite the nurses telling her several times to leave me alone, she insisted on talking to me.
The actual process took about 10 minutes, maybe a little longer but was bearable.
Add to this that my levels are dropping and I am feeling ever so slightly better, as in, not needing a nap mid-afternoon but still shattered by bedtime, I think it may all be working; and the horror movie monthly bleedings won't go on for ever!!!

The next one is planned for a couple of days and I'm back to haematology on Wednesday to find out what happens next & all relatively positive.

Good luck to everyone going through it, feel free to get in touch and we can form our own mutual appreciation society!!!

Lyn

Venesection

I said I'd blog about this but it's so horrible I really just want to bury my head in the sand and pretend it doesn't happen!!
After my last one, my levels went up, my feritin level went up to over 600, despite being under 550 at my last blood test.  My liver scan has shown that the surface is 'uneven' and so I have to assume there is some damage and change my diet accordingly.
I had my second venesection last Thursday and managed to humiliate myself even worse than last month!!!  Not only did I cry but I fainted as well, I'm so proud of myself.  I think I could cope better if the nurse holding the needle in my arm kept the bloody (no pun intended) thing still!!!

But, despite doing a 10 mile walk for the local hospice from midnight to 4am on Saturday and not going to sleep til very late on Sunday, I'm not completely floored, so we'll take that as a good sign.

I'll keep you posted.

Haemochromotosis

I was diagnosed with the above, means I absorb too much iron and this is stored around my organs giving them problems!!

The only treatment is to take a regular pint of blood, called a phlebotomy or venesection, nice!! I've had the first one and it wasn't nice. I cried like a baby on the nurse and apparently should have had someone with me to drive me home because it can all go horribly wrong, leaving you unable to drive and feel crap for a couple days, so something else to look forward to.

I'm not allowed fortified cereals, game or something else that I can't remember at the moment!! And I need to cut down on alcohol intake because my liver is showing signs of not being happy. Well, we'll have to weigh that one up!!! Ha Ha!!

There is some information about this on the internet but I think I'm going to post what I can here so I know anything I found out is in one place!!

Why?

Why is it, when things are jogging along reasonably nicely, a bit of rejigging may be necessary but on the whole it's a positive move in the right direction, that Fate, the Gods, whoever it is who thinks these things are funny, choose this moment to screw things up royally?

It seems a little unfair.

Bridget Jones-style

So, the plan is to make more use of the blog & actually practice writing, anything, apparently it's one way to prepare oneself as a writer!! We'll give it a go, what's the worst that can happen!!!?

Weight: 191lbs: I know!!! There are full grown cows down the road wanting tips from me!! but that is still 10lbs lighter than this time last month, so in the right direction.

Wicca: I've started working through stuff my HP & HPs gave me from 1st, they feel I'm on track for 3rd but as a very good friend of mine has ditched 3rd to return to 1st, I'm not feeling the inspiration!! It's the blessings I have trouble with!

Home: is home, what can I say? 16 years together & that's all my adult life, it wasn't ever going to be easy! Hmm, we're getting on, the least you can ask for really!!

Degree: is progressing nicely, I have been getting the best marks I've every had from any form academic study, unfortunately I can't see why!!

Hey-ho! Gotta get on with the ironing or we'll all be going on hols rumpled!!