Monday-Friday morning (1st May) - more transfusions and going home.

Olly has Gurn for days

I spent a lot of time playing with the bed controls on Monday as I waited on the results of a meeting about me. Around 3pm my two doctors, Dr Pavel and Dr Caroline who have both been outstanding, returned to my room to talk to me. They stated that they had narrowed my diagnosis down to two possible illnesses and have almost ruled out a possible 3rd diagnosis.

I'm so handsome

More friends arrived that afternoon staying till 9ish when the nurses started coming in to hook me up into another unit of blood. My friend Olly (see the gurner) has since Thursday practically been my manservant doing every little job that I needed doing, brought up a suitcase of my stuff as I would be travelling back to London on Tuesday. After my mates had left I had to just sit there with my arm connected to a sack of blood. It's surprisingly difficult having to move the machine with you to the bathroom to have a piss. Once the bag of blood was emptied of its delicious life giving liquid I was unplugged from the machine and allowed to sleep till Tuesday morning when I would be receiving more blood and another unit of platelets. Fuuuuuun.

Ignorance is bliss.

I was woken up fairly early for what felt like my 100th blood tests and pressure tests before a unit of platelets with a paper bag over them so I didn't freak out again was rolled in. Unlike the blood units which take 2-3 hours to empty into me, the platelets take around 30 minutes or so. Soon after the platelets were removed a couple more friends came up to see me before I headed home. One of which, I won't name names, was getting seriously freaked out by the bag of blood that was now getting wired into me. I probably shouldn't have spent time pointing out how you can see the blood dripping from the bag into the wire. But it was funny, so I did. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Just before I left the nurses had to remove the catheter from my arm. This would normally be a painless experience. But as a man with hairy arms this was the worst experience since I'd arrived on Thursday. Absolute agony as all my hair was ripped off with cellotape by a laughing nurse. 

At 2pm the cab arrived to take me home, so I said my goodbyes and settled in for the long journey home. As disappointed as I am to be home as it means that I really am leaving university and my university friends, it was good to see my family and have a proper, nice, comfy bed.

Mark and I doing the goodbye jig

Wednesday and Thursday were nothing days. I just lazed around the house and received the odd phonecall from hospitals about my appointments etc. I go to Kings Hospital today for what I imagine will be a checkup, blood tests, definitely blood pressure test. Hopefully I will not be required to stay overnight for the time being. 

I just want to thank all the staff at Lincoln County Hospital (although I doubt they'll see this) from everybody I came across; doctors, porters, nurses etc. They were extremely kind and caring and put up with me and my mates. Thank you.

I want to thank all my mates especially my housemates; Olly, Mark and Luke and our honorary housemates Jui, Freddie, Chris, Dan, Dom, and everyone who came to visit of which there's too many to mention and I wouldn't want to leave anyone out. Thanks to everyone who texted, snap chatted, facebooked, everything. I really am thankful and appreciate all the messages.