The first day at the Shanti Gopal hospital was really bad.They did not have the blood and wanted us to get them the blood from some other hospital or a blood bank.For that they first wanted the patient to get admitted.He would then be examined by their doctors and then a request would be made to the concerned hospital or the blood bank.After the blood in question has been procured by our people,the same would be brought to S.G. hospital where it would be matched and brought to the room temperature.Finally, after completing all these requirements the transfusion would begin. Normally it takes between four and six hours but on that day it took seven full hours.It was torture of a different kind but then I had to undergo it. The good thing was that at long last I was able to go home that day itself,my residence being just a kilometer away.
This procedure had to be repeated many times ,every time the search for the required blood group would begin and following the procedure set out by the hospital the transfusion would start.Some day it would take five hours and some day it could go on for seven hours.Of course, every time they would first insert a canula.Inserting a canula in the veins of a person gone weak is itself a difficult task and if the nurse or the ward assistant happens to be inexperienced then the mere insertion itself becomes a painful experience for the patient .And this was the case at the S.G. hospital. Anyway, I got the requisite number of units transfused to get my haemoglobin level to more than nine.Getting this level was necessary
, otherwise the doctors at the cancer hospital would not administer chemotherapy to me. This process was not completed in one week or one fortnight but took several weeks. Actually, chemotherapy is done in cycles-- one cycle comprising two doses separated by an interval of eleven days. However, every time before a dose is given, a blood test of the patient is done to ascertain whether the parameters are all right. Normally, they are concerned about three things,viz. haemoglobin count, total leucocite count ant platelet count.If any of these is not within the limits acceptable to the cancer hospital authorities the dose of chemotherapy is not administered.A kidney function test and a lever function test are also done and if any of the parameters such as blood urea number or the creatinine level is not within acceptable limits the next dose of chemo therapy is not given.The patient has to get' all these parameters back to acceptable ranges before he can get the next dose of chemotherapy administered to him.You will read in the next post(s) how chemotherapy was administered to me and in how many doses and cycles.
This procedure had to be repeated many times ,every time the search for the required blood group would begin and following the procedure set out by the hospital the transfusion would start.Some day it would take five hours and some day it could go on for seven hours.Of course, every time they would first insert a canula.Inserting a canula in the veins of a person gone weak is itself a difficult task and if the nurse or the ward assistant happens to be inexperienced then the mere insertion itself becomes a painful experience for the patient .And this was the case at the S.G. hospital. Anyway, I got the requisite number of units transfused to get my haemoglobin level to more than nine.Getting this level was necessary
, otherwise the doctors at the cancer hospital would not administer chemotherapy to me. This process was not completed in one week or one fortnight but took several weeks. Actually, chemotherapy is done in cycles-- one cycle comprising two doses separated by an interval of eleven days. However, every time before a dose is given, a blood test of the patient is done to ascertain whether the parameters are all right. Normally, they are concerned about three things,viz. haemoglobin count, total leucocite count ant platelet count.If any of these is not within the limits acceptable to the cancer hospital authorities the dose of chemotherapy is not administered.A kidney function test and a lever function test are also done and if any of the parameters such as blood urea number or the creatinine level is not within acceptable limits the next dose of chemo therapy is not given.The patient has to get' all these parameters back to acceptable ranges before he can get the next dose of chemotherapy administered to him.You will read in the next post(s) how chemotherapy was administered to me and in how many doses and cycles.
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