Testing, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ...

Yesterday was my BIG 100-day post-transplant check-up, done 4 days early (Day 96) because I don't like to wait until the last minute to complete my assignments.

My first stop was Phlebotomy, where they drained me of 13 tubes of blood. Then it was off to find the Respiratory Clinic where I was scheduled for a Pulmonary Function Test. I'm happy to tell you I passed all the various tests, which involve breathing into a tube in different ways. The results compared favorably with the one I'd had pre-transplant, which means my lungs are fine. Next, I went to Radiology for a chest x-ray, which turned out to be normal, too.

Then we (Marty and I) met with the doctor's assistant to go over meds, bloodwork, etc. I was hoping I'd be able to stop boiling my tap water and be able to eat grated romano cheese, but the answer was no and no. I can have freshly ground pepper, though.

Finally, I had a bone marrow biopsy. It was a little more uncomfortable than usual, but not too bad. Unfortunately, the doc had to re-insert the needle because the first attempt failed to bring up the small bone chip they analyze in addition to the marrow they aspirate. Are you cringing?

Now it's a waiting game, a game I am all too familiar with, and one I hate with a passion. I was told to call in a week's time because they'd probably have the chimerism test back by then, too. Stay tuned for the latest score in the Aussie vs. the Coloradan Slugfest. I'm cautiously optimistic that I remain in remission, but since I've been sucker-punched before, I'm keeping my dukes up just in case.