T + 758 Normally Sick

Last Wednesday I went to the clinic hoping to have my ciclosporin stopped but the cunning haematologist found a way to prolong the taper. Instead of having 10mg twice a day it is down to 10mg once a day. However my next visit, in six weeks', well five weeks' time now, will be when I stop as long as the GVHD behaves in the meantime.

I also saw the endocrinologist and he said my hormones were all fine apart from a slightly elevated prolactin level. However he said it was only just over normal. The top of the range is 300 units and mine was 350 this was not a concern to him though, as he sees people with a figure of 300,000 units and that really is elevated but for men it still has no real consequences.

I asked what prolactin does and in women it is involved in the immune system and breast miik for babies. Hence the "lactin"/"lactose", but in men they don't really know what it does. He said he would test the levels this time round and if they had not increased significantly then he wouldn't need to see me for a full 12 months. If they have increased he'll call me back in just to check the pituitary is working ok as that controls prolactin but he expected it would all be fine.

After clinic I went to a music gig at the HMV Institute in Digbeth, Birmingham to see Kate Nash. She was great but before the gig I noticed a tickle in my throat and when I woke up on Thursday I had a definite sore throat. This developed over the day along with feeling generally crap so I left work early.

Handily I had asked the haematologist at clinic about just seeing how things went if I got a normal cold as long as my temperature was ok. He said yes that was fine as long as my temperature was not up and I did not have a "productive" cough i.e. one that produces stuff e.g. green or yellow phlegm. I didn't think I would be putting it to the test quite so soon.

However my temperature was fine for the most part over the weekend, it had a little blip Sunday morning when it was 37.8 , near the magic 38 that means I have to call the hospital but it went down quickly over the next hour or two.

I took Friday and Monday off sick from work and have been working full time from home the rest of the week. This is partly to give me more time to rest instead of 90 minutes travelling each day and also to avoid spreading the cold at work, something I hope my work mates will appreciate and return the favour if they get sick over the upcoming cold and flu season.

Folks it's not big and it's not clever to drag yourself into work coughing and sneezing just because you feel you have to make an effort. If you have the option to work from home then do that if you must but better yet take the time off to recover properly if you are not well. I know I have a selfish reason for this but spreading a cold even amongst healthy people is not a good idea and costs the UK thousands of lost work days.

I still feel a bit rough in the mornings and a bit snotty with an occasional cough but it makes a change to be able to be just "normally sick" and not go off to hospital.