Saturday, December 06, 2008

Out of order

Bugger. My blood test apparently showed my anemia got worse. So now the doctor wants me to do the proper test for Thalassemia (or Thalassamia or Thalassaemia). I now know the name of the blood disorder because it's on the slip of paper. I was supposed to have another doctor but I was the very last patient and the previous doctor finished earlier than the doctor I was supposed to see. Still very crappy =P but nice lah. He remembered me as the one who wrote the symptoms on the paper. He still suspected I have Thalassemia and tried to explain what it was. Something about alpha and beta... I forgot what it has to do with drowning but I remember something about being breathless very easily. I think the point was that I'll take longer to recover from anything. To which I kept saying, so this thing is quite harmless right? He still insists on having me take the test to confirm it. Which means yet another blood test. Damnit. More blood?? I asked if they could just use the blood that they just took and he went, ah, it's the needles! And he helped me call the lab to ask if they had any of my blood left. Bugger. They didn't. And it was too late to take today so I have to go back on Tues and then go again a week later for the results.

After some googling on the blood disorder, I learned that there's Thalassemia major and Thalassemia minor. Most likely I have minor. The doctor also said if it's only found out now then it must not be very severe. People with Thalassemia major need to have blood transfusions rather frequently. Sounds like that rich crazy girl's disease in Huang Jin Lu. For Thalassemia minor, I don't really know what treatment it needs. Hopefully nothing.. Probably just to make sure I don't get too severe anemia? Oh wikipedia says Studies have shown that Thalassemia Minor often coexists with other diseases such as asthma, and mood disorders. Hmm.

How come I've had blood tests before and nothing showed up before? This blood disorder is supposed to be genetic. If I don't have it I'm going to be annoyed to have spent so much money on these tests.

This year totally blows.

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