Tuesday, February 13, 2007

*REDBOOK BLOG UPDATED*

I continue to feel well today thank goodness, despite the continuing clinical symptoms of infection. Having scoured the information leaflet given with my new tablets (which I obsessively do with each and every medication I so much as have to touch), I worked out that, depending on the dose, my tablets are prescribed for Bronchitis, Sinusitis, Acute Sinusitis and Pneumonia.

I am on them for seven days which falls under the Acute Sinusitis branch. Thank goodness its not Pneumonia! I hope...

For those readers who don't know a whole lot about transplant, and illnesses after, and the significance of normally mundane infections.


  • You never ever get your immune system back, therefore you are always susceptible to infection.

  • Twice yesterday, I said to people "Well if I'm bringing up 'bad stuff' from my lungs, its either a sign of Infection or Rejection*". Both people said 'well I hope its infection then!' Actually, rejection is the easier one to treat, as it takes three days of high dose steroids and then you get back on the wagon. If it's infection, samples have to be taken, tests done in order to find out what kind of infection it is, and then it must be treated. You can feel ill for days (or possibly weeks) and the treatment road isn't as straightforward.

  • While I would never ever wish for rejection at all, I hope to make clear that it isn't the end of the road at all. I've had it before once and I may well have it again!

*I refer to acute rejection, which is the one that can be treated. There is also chronic rejection which, unless you get another transplant, can't be cured. (Eh...I don't think anyway)

So today I'm probably going to go into work, against my mom's wishes. She thinks I may anger my work colleagues by coming in and infecting them. I quickly reminded her that they hadn't had transplants so they have nothing to worry about! When I turned around she'd gone.

Now I gotta go back and watch Dr Phil. Wow this episode is good! Where's my popcorn?! Sure I may as well stay in bed and watch this...I would hate to trek through the traffic to get to work in the wind and rain. I'm thinking of my poor colleagues and their immune systems of course!