Days +1 +2 +3 +4

I cannot believe it has been 4 days since I got my stem cells returned. I sure do hope they are busy at work. I have also been busy the past four days. Really 🙂

Day +1 proved to be so tiring. I felt like I was hit by a truck. Actually more like I was made of lead. Barely moved, only napped. Napping is hard work 🙂 I pull down my trusty chemo cap over my eyes and away I float to dream land. Another thing that happened was that my Hemoglobin tanked enough to warrant a blood transfusion.

I thought I’d feel a little weird about getting blood. You know, someone else’s blood, someone else’s diseases. But I didn’t have to worry of course. My Hemoglobin counts sprang back to safety the next day and all is well.

Day +2 started to look like I might need a platelet transfusion. The good doctors checked my blood twice through the day and so far my platelet count has held steady at the border line. So still dodging that ball.

Day +3 was a memorable day. I finally got out of my room and walked the hallways. 🙂 🙂 I managed to get in 2 laps of the rooms around me (~1.5 min per lap) and I cannot describe how powerful this makes me feel. Like I just ran up the 16 flights of stairs to my room here. The protocol here though is pretty strict about how I dress for said walks.

Gloves, an N-95 mask and a full gown is the mandatory requirement. No socializing with other patients and no crossing any double doors. Very very X-files but all this gives such a sense of security. The air on the oncology ward here is depressurized compared to regular air and so feels dry, but apparently this prevents a big percentage of air borne illnesses from spreading. I am so fascinated with all this science here. Truly humbling. But here is what I looked like 🙂

Also it snowed almost all day in Chicago on this day. While there is something so comforting to watching snow from inside a warm room, I cannot imagine living in this weather long though. I need the sun, I need the heat.

Today is Day +4. And I did NINE laps today! Yes that is right. Of course I spread it out through the day, but I am totally acing this. Today also marks the day I re-started on my Neupogen shots. The shots this time are expected to help increase my White blood cells count and my Neutrophils count. Right now my blood report shows these two candidates as TLTC (Too Low To Count). From what I understand once these numbers go up to 1, I am eligible for discharge.