Giant's Birthday!!!!

I'm so excited about my best friend Giant's birthday this Saturday. This will be the first time in two years that I'll actually be around to celebrate with her. I haven't picked her present out yet, but it'll be something special. I've asked my friends Nomad & Mr Red to come too! It's going to be a blast!

The Spat

I've always cherished my relationships with the people in my life. My previous post about friendship was a little insight about my friends and how I feel about them. I also posted about my dreadful relatives. Well, now, I'm going to combine both posts together.........


My cousin, Noise Pollution, is going out with a friend of mine - let's call her Sandpaper. Yes, she's that rough! I've always been very supportive of their relationship and have always thought that they're well suited. In a previous post, I mentioned how Noise Pollution & other relatives tend to talk sh!t and act high and mighty towards everyone. The latest "sh!t talking" occurred only a few nights ago.


Sandpaper and Noise Pollution were teasing my sister and antagonising me, too. Unbeknownst to my sister, the dirt hit the fan. Actually, my sister didn't know they were even teasing her, but I caught on as soon as a comment on a popular social network surfaced. I immediately defended my sister and before I knew it, I was being verbally attacked by two people who my sister was always close to. I thought to myself that it's inappropriate to discuss such issues publicly, so I called Sandpaper who, unsurprisingly, was with Noise Pollution.


What started as a quiet and mature adult conversation quickly transformed into an ugly spat. In fact, plenty of monosyllabic words were used, and I don't ever recall saying so many at a time. The girl my sister and I had both considered a close friend had turned on us, and although I'd love to blame Noise Pollution and his ruddy influence, it's not his fault. Like I said earlier, they're a perfect match. She'd always had it in her, so I'm relieved that I found this out personally and not from someone else.


After all was said & done, I told Sandpaper to lose my number and not even think about stepping a foot in my house. She's been cut out of my life like half of my relatives. The only problem I have is that I'm going to see her at a function in a few weeks time. I'm sure I'll write about that when it happens, and I'm sure it'll be an interesting meeting between us. I haven't told my parents or sister yet, but they're pretty bright and will notice it in no time at all.


Bring on the fun & games in three weeks........

Uphill Battle

Everyone has obstacles to overcome in life. Some people face the same challenge more than once and yours truly is no different. 

Four years ago, while visiting my family overseas, I complained of fatigue, dizzy spells and lack of appetite. Naturally, I went to my family's local doctor and had some blood tests. The doctor seemed confident that it was merely "stress". The blood test results didn't point to that. In fact, I had severe anaemia with a blood count of 60. Oddly enough, my iron was normal and it got me thinking: Am I even normal? Apparently not. My doctor immediately referred me to a haematologist who requested an urgent bone marrow biopsy. Some holiday this was turning out to be.

On the day of the biopsy, I remember being a nervous wreck, but I still managed to stay strong for my mother. My haematologist only asked me to unbutton my blouse as he was going to use a local anaesthetic on my chest. During the entire 15 minute procedure, I kept my eyes shut. I remember asking my sister, who had had at least 10 of these tests done, how painful it was. On her pain scale (which was quite high), it was a 7. Fanbloodytastic I thought. The only cool thing about the biopsy was hearing the needle penetrate the bone - wicked! The only pain I felt was the bone marrow being extracted (1cc in fact). It was indeed a 7 on the pain scale.

The results came back a few weeks later and I was diagnosed with refractory anaemia. In plain English, it means I had irregular red blood cell development which results in those cells dying prematurely. This ultimately leads to leukemia, but that won't take place until 10-15 years after the initial diagnosis. My haematologist recommended injections which would boost my haemoglobin level. These injections were known as Eprex, or as known here in Australia,Erythropoietin (EPO). This is a banned substance for athletes and I thought: "Awesome. Now I have something in common with Lance Armstrong". Four injections were prescribed, and in no time, I was back to my old self.

Fast track four years. I'm in the best physical shape possible, I've got a new position at work, and I have a great boyfriend. Well, that didn't last too long. The boyfriend's gone, and my physical well being is not as well as it used to be. The same symptoms I had four years ago while on holiday were starting to resurface. Immediately, I knew I had an issue. Other health problems arose as well, but I'm not going into further detail because I don't want to gross anyone out. The signs were there and all I needed to do was see my local GP. 

My blood tests revealed a low level of haemoglobin of 81. Not as low as last time, but still well below average. I tried talking my GP into prescribing my injections in order to avoid visiting another haematologist. Of course, that didn't work at all. I was also banned from food and products containing sulfur. My GP suspected that this could be a root factor for the anaemia. Personally, I didn't think so. Eventually, I relented and agreed to a referral to a local haematologist. 

Do I think this haematologist knows what he's on about? Hell no! All I've had done with him is the basics - blood tests, family history, medical history, etc.... Five weeks and $750 later, we've booked a bone marrow biopsy. Although I believe there will be a positive outcome, I'm still frightened. My fear is related to the pain more than anything and I won't be under the effect of anaethesia this time. Damn it. What's even more concerning is that my haematologist believes that there is no treatment for refractory anaemia. Who is he kidding? Is he trying to convince me that doctors in a Middle Eastern country are more advanced than doctors in Australia? You cannot be serious!

Regardless, I'm going ahead with the biopsy, but I'm sure as hell not sticking with this useless haematologist. As soon as my results are available, I'm going to get a second opinion. At the end of the day, I'm going to beat this and I'm going to ensure it's permanent - even if it means getting fortnightly EPO injections. I have my fingers crossed and I'm forever grateful to friends like Nomad, Persian Princess, and my bosses at work for their support. I will definitely blog further about refractory anaemia in the near future to raise awareness.