Day 40 Report

Today is day 40 post-transplant, which seems like an auspicious pretext for an update. I also just returned from an appointment with my Kalamazoo hematologist, Dr. Vemuri, so there is actual news to convey. The news is, according to Dr. Vemuri, quite good: my blood counts are satisfactory, I am physically where I am expected to be at this stage of recovery, and completely free of infections. On the other hand, I still have protime problems (my blood is too "thick") and I need to start working out again, even if it is fatiguing, in order to maintain muscle tone. I just wish that I felt as good as the report sounds; the thought of a workout on the elliptical machine sounds to me like being tortured in a third world prison, but I suppose that this is just the fatigue talking. The thing I should be focusing on is not my lack of stamina, but rather my lack of infections--most stem cell transplant patients get at least one infection during the first month of their recovery, and I have dodged the infection bullet completely. In two months, I return to the Mayo Clinic for extensive follow-up testing that will tell us whether the chemo and transplant therapy was successful in driving the myeloma into remission. That is the real test; if I am in remission then all of the unpleasantness will have been worth it. If I'm not in remission, then there will be more unpleasantness dead ahead. In the meantime, if you have any spare energy lying about, please send it my way--I'll need it for my first session on the elliptical!

Home Again, and Dog Tired

Thanks for your patience, for it has been a long time between posts. Not as long a wait, mind you, as for the new season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent with Jeff Goldblum, but a long silence nonetheless. Part of that was the sheer hubbub of coming home, which occurred exactly a week ago today. Our return to Kalamazoo made Florence and me happier than Rush Limbaugh with a dozen doughnuts and a new prescription for Oxycontin. The rest of it was the fact that just after getting back, I fell apart like a 1974 Chevy. I was just plain exhausted, and the slightest activity--like taking a shower-- felt like a triathlon. For days, I was taking three naps, waking mainly to eat, and then back to sleep once more. Then at night, I wasn't tired, and I discovered that no one seemed interested in pulling all-nighters with me, fascinating though my repartee may be at 3 am). I'm still easily exhausted (one filght of steps and I'm done for the next quarter hour), but at least I'm not sleeping during the day, or staying awake all night, any longer. I'll close with a few answers to questions you may have. No, we haven't fully unpacked yet. No, we haven't caught up with all the mail that arrived in our absence. Despite that fact, we have thus far evaded debtor's prison. Yes, it's marvelous to be home. True, I'm at least a week behind on my e-mail. But now, it is at last false that my blog has been cruelly ignored. Finally, yes, we are both very grateful for all of the cards, notes, and e-mails received from friends and family cheering us on--those pieces of inspiration and cheer made a huge difference in our lives at a very rough time. Thank you all so much for writing!