Day +9 (3/23/11)

This last week has been pretty rough. (But keep in mind, not so rough compared to most people's experiences.)

The exhaustion is pretty intense. Just walking to the car and standing in the shower have been quite the tasks. I've spent most of my days getting up to go to the clinic, getting drips of potassium, platelets, or blood transfusions (whichever I'm low on that day) then, if it's nice out and I'm feeling up to it, taking a very short walk, (in my mask, of course) then going back to the lodge and crawling into bed. The mouth sores have gotten to the point where I can't really eat solid food, but I feel like they're finally starting to get better. On the upside, we get all the Ensure we can drink for free here. And it's yummy. Like runny pudding. I like it.

I finally spiked a fever for the first time yesterday, and I had to have a bunch of blood cultures done and an antibiotic drip for the next 7 days, or until I have an immune system again. My favorite nurse in the whole world, Shelly, said that 9 times out of 10, it's not an infection, but a Neutropenic fever. My body is busy busy busy making new cells, and that can cause a spike in temp. But, hey, better safe than sorry when you only have 100 or so white blood cells floating around your body.

Other news, my white blood cell count has gone up for the second day in a row! (also up from yesterday: potassium, red blood cells, and hemoglobin!) I still have no immunity, but it's a great sign. For the last week or so, my WBC (white blood cell count) has been .1, or as the nurses say, "bottom of the barrel." As low as can be measured. On Monday, it went up to .2, then on Tuesday, It went back down to .1. Today, it was .4! Progress! I'm so stoked to watch it climb. I'll have this tube out of my chest before I know it!

I feel like this part of the journey is nearing an end. If my counts just keep going up, I'll be able to go home soon. I still have to be extra extra careful for the 100 days post-transplant, but at least I'll be home, closer to friends and in my own bed.

I promise I will be better at keeping you posted. It's just felt like lately the exhaustion spread from my body into my mind. Now that I'm feeling a bit better, my mind is perking up too.

And as always, I'm trying to keep it positive. Succeeding, more often than not. This whole experience is making me appreciate all of the little things. I will never take those things for granted again. Just eating at a restaurant, a simple shower, a long walk in the park, a damn good salad, (no lettuce allowed in the Neutropenic diet), just the freedom of walking outside and smelling the breeze, no mask on my face. Freedom, in general.

I am so very grateful to still be alive. I can't wait to get out and live again.