Day 22

I guess I will try and continue the blog due to popular demand. I am thinking about a weekly update. The transition home has gone well. Nanette is doing a great job taking care of me. It is a full time job right now.

We had doctor appointments on Tuesday and Thursday. My blood counts have increased dramatically this week. Platelets went from 19 to 106. Red blood cells went from 28.2 to 34.5. White blood cells went from 1.1 to 5.0. My ANC went from 440 to 2600. I told the nurse practitioner that this isn't my blood and she agreed with me. She said it was my donors blood made from the new bone marrow.

I still have some issues that I am dealing with. There are some noises in my lungs that seem to be resolving. I cough deeply to try and clear the lungs and I am also on antibiotics. My appetite has been poor and I have been forcing myself to eat. This is just improving slightly as I had smoked turkey yesterday and ham today. Fatigue is another problem that I am to expect. The problem is that expecting and dealing with fatigue are 2 different things. I can take a 2 hour nap and still be tired. I also find myself sitting in a chair for 30 minutes or more and not wanting to move until my bladder says it is time to move. My most difficult challenge has been the bowels. The diarrhea has decreased significantly but my body will not shake whatever is causing loose stools. It could be the chemo, my electrolytes out of range, the transplant and many other things. The doctor's don't have a fix all cure. It sounds like I deal with this until my body fixes itself. Take care. Hope you had a good week.