My room was well-decorated thanks to my husband, kids, mom, and sisters...and many of you who folded cranes, sent cards, etc. These pictures don't include the two quilts made for me by members of my church congregation and my aunts, uncles, and cousins. They took turns being on my bed; so much better than a hospital blanket. The "Happy Birthday" sign was for transplant day. I was well taken care of here. The staff at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital BMT unit is amazing. Really.
I was so happy to come home to these two last Thursday (September 5):
I'm in full protective gear to hold Miss Clara. She spits up a lot, and because the hand/foot/mouth virus can hang out a long time in bodily fluids, we're being extra careful.
My parents are taking good care of us here, and Cory and good friends are taking care of the rest of my family in Virginia. Now, we wait. The first 100 days (starting with Day 0, the day of transplant) are the most critical. I'm on immunosuppressants to avoid graft (Andy's stem cells) vs. host (me) disease (gvhd), in which the donor's immune system attacks the recipient's. I still have to be very careful, then, of germs and sickness. We also have to watch for signs of graft vs. host, which most often attacks the skin (rashes) and gut. They also monitor my liver, because that is a target for GVHD.
I had my first post-hospital visit this Monday. Things look good. Some of my counts had dropped -- platelets, white blood cells, neutrophils -- but they said they may fluctuate, so not to worry. They'll watch it. I go back in tomorrow. My kidneys and liver look good. I mentioned the concern for the liver, and the concern for the kidneys is from the meds I'm on. Monday night I did not feel well at all and I hardly slept that night. My central line (it's not a port and it's not a picc line...it's a tunnel catheter in my chest) was hurting quite a bit. I went in again Tuesday morning to have it looked at, and that sucker was infected. They don't mess around with infection when you don't have much of an immune system. I went up to radiology and got it pulled and they put me on an antibiotic. Honestly, it's nice to not have to worry about it. And, I shouldn't really need it anymore. In the hospital, it was used to the max with meds, fluids, and blood transfusions. I shouldn't need anymore blood transfusions, I'm hydrating well, all my meds are oral...so, no need to have it around if it's going to cause problems.
McKay and I have been playing a lot of board games and taking walks at night. I nap, too. He started preschool, which is wonderful for him. He enjoys it. He also spends time with cousins when they're not in school or sick. :) Clara scoots herself backwards and is working on crawling; she rocks on her hands and knees. She also has 2 little teeth on the bottom! My boys in Virginia started 5th and 3rd grades, and Cory's coaching them both in flag football. We all miss each other and are learning a lot about gratitude, humility, faith, prayers, and the Lord's hand always in our lives. Always.
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