The power of red

Pads was quite worryingly flat today. We'd thought to get his blood count read today. When we phoned up to organise it, the nurses said that yesterday's result was 10.5 so it was unlikely he'd need a count or treatment today. Well, I knew that we'd not done a count yesterday because I was with him all day and he didnt go anywhere near the ward. After some enquiries, it appeared that this was the result for the sample that was taken on Monday. Apparently there are problems with the pod transport system, where items are blown along pipes around the hospital, rather than a porter having to carry them. But the couple of other results that were showing up with yesterday's date all had the sample date noted with them. Even though the outcome was not serious for Pads, it could have been. Apparently an incident form has been submitted about it. When we arrived at the ward, Pads was very weak. He needed to steady himself on my arm just to walk from the car to the lift and so on to a seat on the ward. Giving a sample is pretty quick and painless through the hickman line. He was offered to wait for the blood result but I decided for him and we toddled home. I'd left the car, thinking we were going to be quick, parked outside with only the disabled badge to defend it from the traffic wardens. The call came through a few hours later to say that his HB was 8, which is the threshold below which a transfusion is triggered. Seeing as his counts are heading downwards, it was agreed to give one unit of blood today. This took an age to arrive on the ward so I felt even more justified in not hanging about for that either. The transfusion was finished by 7pm and he was a different person, far more lively and even wanted to walk home. In fact, his mum had already left to pick us up but he'd got half way home.