Diagnosis

A result! My raised temperature and under the weather feeling was caused by the on set of Cytomegalovirus (CMV). I can't remember if I've mentioned this before in any of my blogs but this is a virus, related to the herpes virus, which it is estimated half of all adults have. You catch it through close contact with bodily fluids and most healthy people will never know they have it, it just sits dormant.

However, if you don't have an immune system it is very likely to make the most of it. My donor had it, I didn't, but now I do and I was told that it was very likely that it would activate at some point. It is more of an inconvenience than a real problem as the doctors know exactly how to treat it. It means having around 2 weeks of antibiotics, but luckily I am being allowed to administer them to myself at home via a PICC line which I have today had inserted into my arm. It is amazing actually, the line is situated about 3 inches from my armpit. When the fellow was putting it in I could see him doing an action which looked like he was pushing something further and further in to my arm, and at the end I saw on the table a really long feeder wire. Then I went for an x-ray of my chest as they wanted to make sure the line had reached my heart! From my arm! I was stunned if I'm honest and I didn't even feel anything.

My temperature is now in the normal range and if it stays that way and I show the nurse here I'm capable of doing my antibiotics I should be discharged on Friday, so the Butterfly Party is on!