Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Rh-Issue, Part II

I waited the four weeks they demanded, and just got my blood test yesterday.  Today I just found out...nothing.  My test results came back, but are almost identical to last month--too small to titer, but there.  Which tells me that A.) it's not time to freak out about rh-disease and treatments yet but B.) I could still have it.

The problem here is, I have an issue that has been all but eradicated since the dawn of the rhogam shot in the 1950s.  So, there's almost no research on it.  I can ask questions until I'm blue in the face, and all anyone can really tell me is that I have to wait and see.  The test is so rare, even, that they have to send my blood to the state lab.

But here is the best we can figure:  There are two possible explanations for me having Antibody-D in my system.  1.) It's just from the Rhogam shot, like getting the flu from the flu shot (sort of).  Or 2.) I actually was exposed to some of my daughter's blood, and I developed the antibodies as a defense. 

Let's get honest here, though.  Option #1 is looking pretty improbable.  The rhogam is supposed to last only 12 weeks...and it's been 9 months since I got it.  The math doesn't really add up that it would still be in my system.  

So, the other two possibilities would be that either I will develop Rh-disease, or I have some strange base-line level of antibodies that I will always have.  

Which there is no research on.

So for now, we'll test again in four weeks.  Here's hoping the numbers change...or someone learns how to answer my questions.

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