Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Meillee had her 2nd birthday. She picked out her own present, a toy car, so it wasn't too surprising to her. But it was the first chance she had to really try it out and GO! (her favorite thing to do). The cake was decorated like a pumpkin. She didn't understand the concept of blowing out the candles, so Lon tried to show her. Lori and Thad gave her a bear with different buttons to push that would make it talk. Brin and Addi were determined to give her something, so they found treasures from among their own things and from items around the house to give their youngest sister.
Read more

Released from Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

Image
For several days my absolute neutrophil count was zero as I tried to get a new immune system jump started.  On the 26th of December it jumped to 400, and I needed it to be 500 or more for three days in order to be released back home.  On Tuesday, the next day, it jumped to 4300!  That was unusual.  The normal range is 1900 to 7000, and I was well past the minimum.  That seldom happens, or at least I would judge that it seldom happens by everyone's reaction at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.  Usually it bounces around 300-1000, going up and down as it tries to stay above 500. They took me off of the nupagen, which was stimulating white blood cell growth.  That caused my count to go down to 2160 on Wednesday.  But it was still good enough to convince the attending Dr. Boyor that I could go a day early. I felt like a prisoner being released from a low security federal prison.  I couldn't be happier.  Then they went over the home care a...
Read more

Brand New Birthday

Image
After receiving Melphalan on Day -1, I received my stem cells back on Day 0 the next day.  The staff surprised me by singing Happy Birthday and giving me a very nice present (Skull Candy head phones).  Pat, Mary's sister, had sent up Birthday cupcakes, which were delicious (Pat is the one taking the pic).  So we had a very cool little celebration on December 15, 2016, my new Birthday.  Now I share a Birthday with Mary's brother Chris.  Sorry Chris, didn't mean to steal your thunder dude.  They brought my stem cells in a container with liquid nitrogen to keep the stem cells from thawing.  They are kept in a preservative that smells like cream corn when it evaporates.  So I smelled like corn for several days after the transplant.  My cousin Brad used to call me corn when I was little.  Maybe he knew something I didn't. 
Read more