Baby Steps to Giant Steps

Suddenly it seems the speed of my recovery is snowballing. Yesterday at the clinic I saw Dr. McGuirk who kept saying "you look really great!"

I feel pretty damn good, not just physically, but psychologically too.

Two weeks til I visit the clinic again. I have not gone 7 days without seeing a doctor since July, 2008. This will be a real treat. Next Tuesday I do have an appointment though, to get my teeth cleaned. Oral hygiene is an odd thing during treatment for blood cancer. They don't want you to floss when platelets are less than 50, so for much of the last 18 months, no flossing. (This is because of the risk of bleeding.) No brushing at certain times, I can't remember why. I had a sponge on a stick that I dipped in a fluid that tasted a little like fluoride, not abrasive at all, that sort of freshened my mouth. So getting a full fledged teeth cleaning is going to be a real treat.

I went with Annie, my daughter-in-law, for a manicure-pedicure in Chicago which was just divine. I must find a place in Kansas City with that kind of treatment. Dr. McGuirk looked at my nails yesterday like he always does and exclaimed "they're polished!" I did not feel one bit bad. The scruffy part of my nails is nearly grown out. As a result of the chemo they turned a bit yellow and then became increasingly flaky as they grew out. The good news? The ridges I had before are gone too! A fresh start.

Another fresh start that hadn't occurred to me was immunizations. When I lost my bone marrow I lost my childhood immunity. So yesterday I received five vaccinations. For polio, diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus, pneumonia, hepatitis and a flu vaccine given to babies. As a regular camper and outdoors person I always had a tetanus shot annually. I'm happy to be well enough to be immunized! This does not mean I must avoid immune suppressed patients. Only persons who receive the nasal flu vaccine must avoid immune suppressed patients.

After tomorrow I will be taking two less pills per day. The anti-fungal and the corresponding liver saver on the theory that the anti-fungal causes the liver enzymes to rise. It has been one year since I had pneumonia. The anti-fungal drug is aimed at fungal pneumonia, which was the medical team's best guess at the cause of my pneumonia though they were never able to identify a fungus from the many cultures. I spent the entire month of February 2009 in the hospital very sick with pneumonia. I think that is the single event that extended my recovery period and there are still some effects from it. There is scar tissue that causes some pleuritic sort of pain when I expand my lungs for a deep breath. Dr. McGuirk's solution for that is exercise, exercise, exercise. Deep breaths. Break up the scar tissue. So cold be damned, I shall put on my boots and start walking. "Are ya ready boots?"

I should mention that my lungs look much much better than anyone ever expected. One time last year after a particularly positive CT Scan Dr. Aljitawi said "you are the miracle girl!" A happy title.

My counts yesterday were still rising. Platelets 105 (normal is 150), Hg 9.0 (normal 11-14) and WBC 5.1 (that's normal!) The booster and the Revlimid are still ammo in reserve.

I asked about overseas travel and Dr. McGuirk said "oh get real" and I said "maybe Italy in October?" He replied "October? Oh sure that will be fine. Where in Italy?" "Florence." "My sister used to live there. She worked in the Uffizi Gallery." Very fine. A vacation to plan.

My trip to Chicago was excellent. Conor and Annie are terrific hosts. I slept good--without drugs. And I feel like I know little Harrison a little bit better. Getting to know him and make up for lost time. I was disappointed that I am no stronger in Chicago than I am in Kansas City but I figured out how to carry him up and down stairs safely. Certainly I was way stronger than just a month ago at Christmas. I could pick him up and swing him, so next time I go I will be ready to schlep him anywhere. I am signing on to be the chief cook and bottle washer after the next baby comes in May.

Finally, many people have asked me if I will continue keeping the blog. Yes I will. I think my recovery is just getting rolling and there are still many changes to come. I want to write about some events that haven't made it to the blog during this time of itinerant posts. I am looking forward to having more privileges, one by one. And I will be writing about the experiences in this blog so stay tuned.
~Cathi