Day 100 in Only 17 Days

1. My three-month scan post transplant, which we hope shows complete remission and donor cell engraftment. This will be followed by a six-month scan and yearly ones, yet regular blood draws at Dartmouth Hitchcock should reveal any early warning signs of relapse IF that happens. I’ll be honest: learning that the comedian Norm MacDonald died of leukemia after a 9-year battle threw me off for a bit this week. It reminded me that this disease is insidious and has pretty bad survival rates in general. But I’m not a statistic nor am I a comedian, so there’s that! 😉

2. 100 days post transplant is October 15: the first 100 days are the most critical when it comes to surviving the transplant (liver, kidney, lung, gut, skin issues and deadly infections from microscopic critters most people can shake off easily) It will be nice to make it past this milestone.

I’m a bit more compromised than I should be at this point because of the targeted cell therapy drugs (also a chemotherapy drug, which lowers my body’s ability to fight off even the common cold). The good news is that my doctor has weaned me off those drugs beginning tomorrow, so I should see a bounce back again soon.

And I’m also learning a ton about what recovery looks like, and it, too, is a turtle marathon. My brain processing power, energy, and stamina are all improving yet still heavily impacted. And my muscle strength getting up and down is just g-o-n-e. Using a whole healing mindset, different approaches, and patience helps me. Plus: all any of us have is now, so I’ve found it really important and freeing to ‘be here now’ as much as possible. 

Randy will update the blog as soon as we know what the bone marrow biopsy results are. Until then, I just want to thank you all for your love and support over these past almost 9 months. We appreciate it more than can be expressed.

Later gators!