Day +107

Doing well!👍
Blood labs (metabolic panel & CBC) are looking great. Platelets are slowly coming up, but since they are still under 50, I’m still a fall and bleeding risk. So I can’t do my usual risky behavior!
The slow recovery could now be the scarring in the bone marrow, which will go away in about a year or so. Think about it as a rock garden, can’t really grow anything there, but my body is trying.

Hemoglobin at 11.6! (Normal range is 13.2 - 16.6. ) Cant wait to be normal! ( insert your own joke here 😁)

Still on 2 visits a week at mayo, while they monitor. Mostly for labs, talk to the doctor, and dressing changes for the power port.
Energy is great, and I’m back down to my fighting weight. 💪

Marathon no where near over, but feeling great at the current pace!

Day + 101

Yep 101 days!
All is well. 

Dr Palmer found out that an anti-fungal med was causing the thrombocytopenia. (Eating my platelets).
There’s only a 10% chance that the med would do that(voriconazole), and apparently I fell into that 10%. (BTW I don’t have fungus, it’s just to prevent any fungal infection. What’s funny is I used to take Fluconozole, the same stuff my doggos take for their valley fever.)

Still battling some GVHD symptoms, but nothing major. Platelets  are now on the rise, and hemoglobin (red cells, are in double digits!)

 No extra Salt now, and steroids have been decreased so I’m not feeling or looking like a bull walrus,
The natural diaretic I’m taking is working great (Uva Uris leaf, Dandelion leaf, ginkgo, horse chestnut and Hawthorne Berry). Ya, it makes me pee a lot but it’s better than the alternative.
Daily excersize helps with that and the occasional “roid rage”. The kids just look at me and laugh and say, “uh oh, he’s raging again”

I should be getting my multi-luman  power port out soon, as soon as my platelets stabilize.
My hair is coming back too! Not sure what color yet,  Lauri is waiting for the blonde hair and blues eyes.

Day +90

Feeling great!
Still some minor GVHD issues, but the steroids are working on that.

Had  a bone marrow biopsy yesterday, I’ll be excited to see the results in a few days.
Even the Tech that did the procedure said he noticed  an improvement in samples of what he pulled. That sounds very encouraging.

Day +85

All is well!
Platelets dropped again so I got a fresh bag on Wednesday. Doctors are not concerned.
The prednisone (steroids) and sodium supplement is causing some water buffalo type fluid retention. Liver labs are coming back to normal, so hopefully they will back from on the steroids.
Attempting to manage that with hydrochlorothiazide and staying active. No need to turn into a baluga whale.

Day +80

Another awesome day / week!
Blood labs looked great, but platelets are low. Doctor’s are not concerned. It could still be a small GVHD battle going on, (graft vs host, those old Joe cells are not going without a fight)
Could be some chemo still in my system, or a small infection . Since the count is below 50, I’m a fall risk, but I’m constantly under supervision.
The good news, my hemoglobin counts are in double digits, which haven’t been there in at least a year or more.
Taking it easy, and focusing on healing both physically and mentally.

Ahhh, just relax and listen to the chagrin river.

Day +75

Doing well and feeling much,much,much better!
Blood levels bounced back to expected levels and the Mayo visits are short and sweet now.
Had a CT scan last week on my sinuses, just to check a pre-transplant issue. Haven’t heard anything back. All my other tests last week came back normal, no issues.

Due to the GVHD bouts , they put me on some strong steroids. They are really messing with me, and hopefully they will back down the dose or stop them. They make me jittery, and I have a hard time staying asleep, even though I take them in the morning and early afternoon. ( an occasional ‘roid rage   over stupid  things too.)
Working out and I just keep moving every day to try to keep my muscles relaxed.


Go cells go!

Day +70

Ugh... not a good week.
GVHD (graph versus host disease) reared it’s ugly head . Gastrointestinal issues, coughing, nausea. Not much more but when my belly aches, I’m a whiny little bitch. They said this would happen,  but you know me, “ not to me it won’t!”.
Yesterday, had to deal with  a bag of platelets, a liver ultrasound, chest X-ray, and scoping  and biopsy of upper and lower tracks. ( my most favorite part was having to give my self enimas) luckily they knock you out for that biopsy procedure . Last thing I heard was “let’s give him another dose”. Woke up and they were done.
Everything was fine. They found minor stuff. But nothing to be concerned about. Still waiting on the liver and chest X-ray results, not due back until Sunday,
I feel great today!