Could It Be Magic?

We made the hejira to Boston yesterday. While I snooze comfortably, poor Marty has to make the weekly drive. Sometimes he gets me back though by playing show tunes, which in general, I can't stand. Guys and Dolls can be a rude awakening.

Not only was I feeling pretty good yesterday, my blood counts were cause for celebration, although they didn't appear to be. WBC =3.2; RBC =3.14; Plat=46; ANC = 2.53. This is about where my counts have been hovering the nearly 3 months post-transplant. I've been producing no new RBC's at all, relying on transfusions to keep me afloat.

I was surprised then when my doctor said maybe my transfusion days were over. My reaction: are you a magician? No, I have 30 years of experience. We had a good laugh over it. Turns out a measure of reticulocytes (who knows from those?) indicates when production is finally ready to begin. I'm there.

Magic?

Expertise?

I walked out of there not really caring. Although I still find plenty of this transplant business bordering on the paranormal, I'll take good results by any means necessary.

The View From Where I Sit

I'm not going to talk about anything medical today, mainly because it bores me so. Rather, I'm going to paint a picture of my backyard. The rain has stopped for now, but the wind is still huffing and puffing, pelting our house with acorns and other debris. The backyard has a lot of fir trees so lacks the brilliant color of the front. But the viewing area in back is far superior to the front rooms. Leather wrap-around sofa facing a bank of French doors: the perfect spot to view wildlife and weather events. The bird action is mesmerizing, and quite compatible with my current interests and abilities.

And if by chance I'm hungry or thirsty, the refrigerator is 20 feet away.

Status Quo

Your eyes do not deceive you. I am actually writing a post on my blog. It's funny that with all the time in the world on my hands, I can't manage to crank out an update or two.

There's nothing new to report on the transplant front other that I am 100% donor. This is as it should be. Mr. Donor must have other pressing things to do, because he's not making red cells, which I sorta need. Right now I'm getting transfusions every three weeks.

My biggest complaint remains nausea/vomiting/weight loss/lack of motivation. If I feel bilious, I have to pop an ativan and wait 30 minutes for it to kick in. It usually works, but inertia sets in and I find myself washed up on the couch watching countless episodes of NCIS.

So no news really. I want to thank all of you who've been checking up on me. I appreciate the phone calls, emails and blog comments. And thanks George. Maybe I can hire you.