It’s nearly time for me to go to sleep, blog. It’s been a pretty exhausting day, especially with the incident in art. Mum was pretty angry about it when she found out. She said that I should be more conscious of my ‘fragile’ health. I don’t think she trusts me around sharp objects. She probably thinks I don’t know how to look after myself. But I do know how! I had to learn because I couldn’t keep going home or to the hospital for infusions. I can look after myself! Mum really needs to stop treating me like a baby. She probably means well, but I really don’t need her to fuss over me anymore. It’s humiliating, especially when she does it in public. Ugh!

In case you readers didn’t know, I get injections of artificial clotting factor when I bleed, because my blood doesn’t have enough to clot properly. I get injections of factor VIII, because that’s what I’m lacking due to my haemophilia A. I heard that haemophiliacs with type B get infusions of factor XI when they bleed.

I remember getting my first injection. I was pretty scared (I was only five or six years old). All I could remember was seeing the needle coming closer and closer. I think I cried quite a bit. Needles don’t really faze me nowadays though. I’m just so accustomed to seeing (and being jabbed) by them. It’s natural for me. I’m pretty sure it’s a relief for my parents too. They probably got sick of my hysterics.

I don’t have many injections these days, because I know how to avoid injuring myself. I used to have quite a few when I was little, because I hurt myself so often. But now that I’m older, I know how to look after myself, so I don’t need them as much.

Mum says I’m lucky, because I only have a moderate case of haemophilia. She said that people with severe cases usually need several injections on a regular basis. I guess I agree with her. I already have enough as it is!

I remember when my parents were talking about other treatment methods, besides my injections. The doctor at the hospital said that they could give me medications like desmopressin (DDAVP) to help my body raise its own levels of factor VII, or antifibrinolytic drugs (such as tranexamic acid or aminocaproic acid) to prevent my blood clots from breaking down. I think they decided that getting clotting factor therapy (a fancy word for getting injections of factor VIII) was sufficient at that stage. They didn’t want to be pumping me with tablets, and it would probably cost a lot of money to get the mediation.

Labels: haemophilia, treatment