Meredith Shaw
Sickle Cell Diary – October 10, 2014 – Age 16 Today was NOT a good day. My hands and feet were swollen for most of the day which made it very hard for me to write and get to my classes during school. I am home now but pain is occurring in my joints, chest, and abdomen. And to get even worse my vision is beginning to get bad because the blood vessels are filled with sickle cells. For about a month now, my doctors have put me on a medicine called hydroxyurea. This medicine is supposed to help the pains I have been having for the past year and it will supposedly help me live longer. Not only do I have to take that medicine daily but I also have to get another blood transfusion for the month. Getting the transfusions is probably the worst things ever because I have to spend the whole day at the hospital plus the insurance only pay for transfusions within a certain time period. But on a good note though, over the past six months, I have become very close to my phlebotomist. Every month when I go to her she professionally draws blood samples from me while keeping me calm and comfortable. Life with sickle cell is very different from a life without because I am always missing a lot of school. Missing school seems like fun to most people because they won’t have to go but it’s totally different. I feel like people think that I am always skipping school, plus I am always missing school events that happen during the day. I also cannot play any sports which sucks because most of my friends do track and field. I always wanted to do track and field, but with my conditions I always feel weak and tired between the times I need my blood