On the way out!

My white blood cells are starting to recover! This means my new bone marrow is beginning to engraft. The doctor says that I may be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday or Wednesday. I have been doing really well, but I have a little fatigue setting in. This is probably from the neupogen I have been receiving daily. This is used to help the engrafting process. The only thing left is to switch from IV meds to pills. Then after I am discharged, I will be in Houston for another 70 to 80 days, going to appointments in the clinic.

Sept 17 - My 28th Birthday

Today was a good day. My parents arrived yesterday in order to spend time with me on my birthday. It felt really good having them around. I woke up with a sore throat, but that didn't stop me from eating cake though. I received a lot of cards that really cheered me up. I normally go out to eat whatever I want as a tradition for my birthday, but unfortunately my throat was bothering me too much. Ironically, I decided on some soft tacos from Taco Bell. Overall though, I had a great day.

Going through the motions

Everyday is starting to seem like a process. I find myself setting a schedule for each day. I start off with my mouth treatment in the morning, I walk three times a day, and I manage to eat at least three meals a day. Lately I have been watching a lot of TV, but I plan to start reading instead. I know my schedule does not seem like much, but it seems to make the day fly by. My white blood cell count has dropped to 0.1 and I have been receiving blood products as needed. Everything is still smooth sailing though. The nurse said that my counts are expected to recover by the end of next week. I hope to leave the hospital ahead of schedule but I will not be sure until the new bone marrow begins to engraft. I think that as long as I stick to my daily 'schedule', everything will just seem like 'going through the motions.'

Lazy days, not much to say

Sorry for the delay. I have been sleeping most of the time since the transplant. Everything is going very well though. I have maintained a normal appetite and my walking is the same. I will be in the hospital for thirty days now. My blood cell counts will drop in the next couple of days and I will continue to receive the anti-rejection medicine. Then, in about four or five days, my bone marrow will be monitored to see if I need medicine to help it recover. This is when I find out whether or not I am going to accept the new bone marrow or not. If everything goes well, I should be able to leave the hospital on day thirty. I will be monitored for another seventy days in Houston. If there are still no problems, I will be discharged from Houston and able to go home. I forecast that everything will be fine, so "I'll be home for Christmas....."

Transplant Day - Rebirth

The day had finally come. I waited and waited all day for my bone marrow to reach the floor. The anticipation made me upset. Finally, around four o'clock, the doctor's came in and started the transplant. It was a very simple procedure. There were six bags of bone marrow used and they were infused directly through my catheter. It was practically like a blood transfusion. I became drowsy from the premedications and took a nap shorty after. Later that evening I woke up to some delicious Tex-Mex delivered by my parents. The day was over before I knew it and I was feeling as good as when the day began.