I apologize for the delay in posting another update on my condition. I tried a number of times, but my brain was so slow that I never managed to finish.
Suzie and I met with my doctor at Stanford on Tuesday, and he confirmed again that the bone marrow transplant procedure worked. The transplant “took” and the new bone marrow is producing enough blood cells that most of my blood counts are normal. As time goes on, I’ll produce more and more of the various sub-types of white blood cells, which will make my immune system more effective. For the time being, I still have to avoid crowds, watch what I eat, and avoid sick people. But I no longer have to wear the scary, uncomfortable mask when I go outside, which is liberating.
I continue to have a lot of fatigue and a lack of stamina (due to the energy my body is using to heal the extensive damage caused by the high-dose chemotherapy agents I was given and, to a small extent, to continued low red blood cell counts, which are the last to recover). I’d say I’m running at about 40%. The chemo also continues to affect my GI system, including my appetite (eating has gone from a joy to somewhat of a chore), but that too should also resolve as time goes on. The fatigue is challenging but has improved from 2 or 3 weeks ago, when it took all the force and effort I could muster to accomplish a simple thing like taking a shower (something made more difficult by the fact that I was attached to a fluid-dispensing bag through a port that allowed stuff to be infused directly into a vein in my heart — a bizarre notion I never quite got my head around). Two to three weeks ago, the fatigue and lethargy were overwhelming, seeming down to the cellular level, creating a feeling so unpleasant that it’s impossible to describe. It was suffering like I’ve never experienced before.
It’s clear that I had an unrealistic expectation of how quickly I’d recover; the doctor said on Tuesday that what I’m feeling now is perfectly normal, and that 2 – 3 months is a normal recovery time. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it may be some time before I get back to 100%. In the interim, I try to ignore my weird bald head and chase away the thought that I’m an old man who may never be vigorous again.
In the meantime, we’re back in Santa Rosa now, so if anyone is interested in visiting me, please let me know. I’ll need to ration the number of visits until I get less fatigued, but would appreciate a few because I’m going stir crazy now that Suzie has gone back to work again.
Speaking of Suzie, I don’t know how I could have gotten through this ordeal without her (and without the help too of my father-in-law Paul, who stayed with us in Menlo Park and helped out a ton). Suzie nursed and planned and drove and cooked and cleaned and arranged and made sure that everything that needed doing got done. She was kind and loving and let me be a useless lump most of the time without judgment. She cajoled me into physical activity when necessary, and didn’t mind when I rejected a meal or hogged the TV. Thank you my love, you are the best.
That’s the scoop. I promise it won’t be another 3 weeks before the next post.
Categories: SSS Health