Well... I am having severe hemolytic anemia. Today, my hgb got down somewhere in the 7's and I was having a good deal of chest pain and dizziness and nausea so I went into the ER. (I began taking the increased 40k units per week of epogen Friday before last - so I'm two shots into the increased dose). One thing to think about - need to make certain the pegasys isn't causing bone marrow issues before pinning everything on the ribarvirin.
At any rate, I got a call that I have to testify tomorrow in front of the grand jury about my case. I am, of course, terrified. So in the ER they are telling me they can't do anything but transfer me to Huntsville or wait until tomorrow because my hematologist and liver specialist are both in Huntsville and I don't have a local admitting doc and they don't do the transfusions in the ER.
I told them I had to get transfused tonight in order to testify tomorrow. I was really touched. The nurses, who remember me from doing my rape kit, and from being in twice with hemolytic anemia secondary to the hepc treatment as a result of the rape, told the doctor that they would transfuse me IN the ER. They told him they could use it as training and that they wanted me out in time to "testify against the sob." Kind of a small community hospital here and I didn't know that many there had remembered me, so I found it really touching. At any rate, I'm back at home, going to try to catch an hour or two of sleep. I received two units and I feel wonderful, however, after I deal with court I will call my hematologist.
Very concerned about my blood counts. I've had a transfusion once before. With hemolytic anemia, transfusions sometimes just confuse the issue and actually stalemate your production of additional blood even more. It gets really complicated, especially when you have a hemolytic agent, a possible marrow suppressing agent, a pre-existing normocytic anemia, and then a new hemolytic anemia. Plus 1 new blood transfusion. What a mess. I'll have to call and let them get some kind of plan worked out later today. Prob need a bone marrow biopsy to see what's up in there. This is difficult coming on such good news of a UND at 4 weeks because I sure don't want to blow it now!