Not only were the nurses surprised at how well I ate (if all you get is hospital food, even that starts to taste decent), they were more than a little surprised at my energy level and the fact that I didn't take any more Ativan after the 22nd or so (the Friday after I arrived). Every time the shift changed, the new nurse would ask me if I wanted any Ativan. It was days before one of the nurses was able to get my chart changed so that everyone quit asking me about it. They were also surprised when I would eat not only my hospital meal, but I often supplemented it with frozen foods as well. (BMT patients can't have any home-cooked food nor any restaurant food.) I ate several Boston Market dishes of the Garlic Dill New Potatoes. Yum!

By the beginning of July I was climbing the walls and ready to leave. It didn't seem fair that the man who smoked got to go outside on smoke breaks periodically, but I had to stay inside and on the ward. In fact, that man disappeared one day for several hours because he wandered away from the smoking area. I heard other patients tell of folks who wandered out of the hospital because they suddenly got cold feet about their treatment! Let me tell you, if you start this chemo regimen, you can't refuse the rest of the treatment!! The chemo for the first four days kills off all of your bone marrow. If you quit the treatment before they give you the stem cells back, you will have no immune system at all and the first mild bug that floats past you can kill you.

At any rate, by that first week in July, I was pestering anyone who could listen about when I was going to get to go home. I heard a million different answers, but the doctor in charge of the ward for July said he thought I could probably go home that Friday -- about four days earlier than the most optomistic answer I'd heard before starting the transplant. Sure enough, Wednesday my graft "took" and my blood counts started to jump dramatically. After having about 30-40 white blood cells for a week or so, they jumped to about 375 or so, then tripled the next day and tripled again the day after that. My hemoglobin stayed a bit on the low side, but not low enough to need a transfusion. And the platelets began rising dramatically, too.

I was released July 6 and actually drove the three hours back home myself! The doctors all agreed that it was the easiest and most boring transplant they'd ever seen in their lives. I had no side effects to speak of, no complications. In fact, my white blood cells were high enough when I left that I did not need to keep taking the Neupegen shots (which boost WBC) and I also had a high enough platelet count that they took the central line out before I left. Evidently most people tend to keep the line for at least another week after they get home. I had to go to a local clinic and have my blood checked the Monday after I got home and again the following week as well as seeing the doctor that day, too. My potassium was a touch low the first Monday, but was okay by the second visit. I had to wear a mask for the first two weeks I was home if I was around more than about 3 or 4 people. Not really wanting to wear a mask in public, I pretty much stayed home.

But after that? Well, I've been at work ever since.

Recovery >>