Huge Cyclosporine pills and question about transfusions

From: LauraJaros@hotmail.com
Date: 12/31/2003
Time: 8:57:50 AM
Remote Name: 24.15.157.65

Comments

Larry started out taking those huge, smelly cyclosporine pills. We started getting them at the pharmacy in the Docs office when we ran out and the new pills were much smaller and did not smell. I read the bottle and enclosed information to make sure it was the correct medicine and dosage and mentioned to the pharmacist at our next visit what a huge difference the new pills were. Just made me wonder why anyone would have to suffer through those other pills when a much more tolerable version was available. I have a question about HLA typing for blood transfusions. I am going to discuss this with the doctor in case we ever get back to the point where Larry needs transfusions. When Larry received blood in the past, the Drs office always did a "type and cross". I recently found out that the blood bank can check any donor blood for antigens against the recipients blood. In other words, it sounds similar to what they would do for a transplant, just not as thorough.......They just test for the most common antigens and locate blood that is a match. One woman had this done and received over 167 transfusions and only developed one antibody and it was from an emergency transfusion. So, now I am wondering if they did this for Larrys blood and I just did not know, or if it is not such a big thing since they dont check for EVERY antigen OR if this is something everyone receiving transfusions should have done, and we just dont know it OR if everyone else already does this and we are just not up on things.......................Since he is no longer receiving transfusions, this is not as urgent..but I need to figure it all out just in case. Did all of you do this for transfusions????..............................Thanks, Laura