...says Doc Holiday in the epic Tombstone. I will shake your hand, but don't be offended when I break out the pocket sized hand sanitizer and apply. It's not you, it's me! I am now a germophobe.
It starts simple enough with bottles of hand sanitizer at every sink, plus several strategically placed throughout the house. One in each car, plus the aforementioned pocket bottles that travel with me. But it doesn't stop there. I've have said goodbye to buffets, potlucks, communal bowls of candy, and the box of donuts in the break room. Every door handle, faucet tap, table top, or chair arm poses unseen danger. The next time I take communion in church I will bring my own unleavened bread and flask of wine...er, grape juice. The tough one is shaking hands, because I really like that. So when I bathe my hands up to my wrists in 62% ethyl alcohol with aloe, don't take it personal.
Obviously, I have reason to be cautious as my immunity is rebuilt over the next two years. I will receive childhood immunizations all over again starting next July (one year after transplant) and then follow up shots throughout the the year up until two years out. As for my exposure to illnesses like the common cold, I need to go through the process of getting sick and allowing my body to build it's own defense, just like an infant would. That is why I will be able to return to work at the end of this month. I HAVE to allow myself to be sick so that I can be healthy. I only pray that any sickness I do experience in this next year will be mild and forgiving, allowing me to build my immune system but not wipe me out completely or worse, put my overall health at risk.
Post transplant life is good, freeing, liberating. I am no longer bound by blood counts or the lack there of. All numbers are higher than they have been in years and steadily increasing, but we are training ourselves not to watch them like a sports ticker. What we are watching is my kidneys and liver to make sure they are tolerating the meds and showing no signs of Graft vs. Host Disease or GVH. Another interesting precaution is sunlight. A sunburn can trigger severe GVH for the rest of my life, so come summer time I'll be the guy in the wide brimmed hat, wearing SPF 50, drinking beer under the umbrella at the beach. I suppose I live in the right part of the country to protect myself from sunlight.
With constant improvement and recovery, I am finally returning to work healthy for the first time in a year. Tomorrow I will be walking into Shuksan Middle School preparing to face the reality of spending my days with pre-teens. Fortunately, it is a staff work day tomorrow so I get to ease into my classroom and the school before students arrive. Shuksan Staff, I can't wait to see you guys again.
With my new found vigor, I have been training again. Training for what, I'm not sure yet but I'm pretty competitive so I'm sure I'll have to kick someone's ass at something down the road. On my training route the other day, I realized that in-spite of saying that I am thankful to God for my health, I hadn't actually told Him, "Thank You!" So in a brief moment of solitude on a path-side bench at Northridge Park in a cathedral of trees, I thanked Him. I praised Him for His greatness and His orchestration of the plan for my life. I praised Him for creation and that the beauty of the forest pales in comparison to His handiwork in us. I prayed that my new lease on life would be a testimony to His power, His grace, and His love for us. Amen
