Moving Out

So, here's the thing about bone marrow transplants. They are BOOOOOORIIIIING! The word "transplant" conjures all sorts of images of doctors clearing the halls, knocking over trays of hospital food to get the precious marrow from the donor to the recipient in time. It couldn't be further from the truth. It's just a big red bag that hangs on the IV pole and drips away. The most exciting part of the day is the number of times the nurses check vitals looking for any reaction to the marrow.

The good news is that my stay here in Unit 5B of the Weinburg building has been boring from the beginning. The nurses like to say here, "Boring is good," which means no surprises, no complications, no major concerns and that has largely been the case. I battled a fever just a few days after the transplant that cooled quickly with aggressive antibiotics, but that has really been the only bump on a very smooth road. Even the effects of the chemo have been very tolerable with the worst behind me.

The next major step is seeing blood counts start to recover and that may not happen for at least another week. I haves lived with low counts for so long that I don't feel an empty tank, but I am no less excited about seeing blood counts start to come up. Once the counts start to appear, it will be easy to tell if it is the new marrow that is working and not my own trying to bounce back. Because my own marrow produced abnormal red cells, the new marrow will produce healthy blood cells which they can easily test for.

Now boring may be good for the transplant, but it's driving me nuts. Sure I'm reading, watching movies, taking naps, doing what I can to let time go by, but checking out and coming in as an outpatient is sounding better and better all the time. The good news is that barring any surprises, I will be checking out this coming Sunday to start the next phase of the recovery process. I'll stay in campus housing and come in just during the day for treatments. It doesn't sound very different, but getting out of this unit having a little more independence will make a huge difference for me.

I do need to recognize Kari, my sister, in this whole process. She was a trooper and in spite of her anxiety before, her exhaustion the day of, and her soreness during recovery, she gave cheerfully and willingly. Thanks to Lach who marched her around DC just a few days after the procedure, she recovered quickly (the doctors told her it is good for her to be up and moving). I love my sister, and I will never forget what she went through for me.

The waiting game continues, and prayers for continued patience are appreciated. Obviously we are praying that counts start to come up and that I can remain relatively free of complications, but waiting sometimes is harder than anything else.