Hi everyone

I have just arrived home fromhospital after suffering a major blood loss - the worst this hospital has ever recorded. I lost a total of 4 Litres of Blood and ended up with a HB blood count of 33 (or 3.3) and was given hours to live. As one of JW's I refused a transfusion.

Lizzy and co - my only recommendation apart from all the other good suggestions is to ensure that the emergency, critical care and recovery sections of the hospital have the Hospital Liaison Committee protocols for acute anaemia available to them immediately. I was in the intensive critical care unit from 11am til 6pm that night before the hospital committee could talk to one of the head doctors and show them the protocol to follow. They had said that there was no other treatment apart from a blood transfusion that would help me... once the liaison brother showed them the protocol (they do have copies somewhere in the hospital - probably in the IN trays) it still took them til early hours of the next morning to give me EPO, Iron, folate and Vitamin B12 =- they had to order in teh iron transfusion. This is not a small community hospital either - a major hospital and is also used to teach our future doctors!

So my only suggestion is to ensure that they have the protocol in place and understand what fractions you will accept way before hand.

Take care.