Day 74 Update - How Time Flies

Just wanted to drop a line to everyone to let you know what I have been up to. Well today is day 74 and I am feeling great. I just had a checkup in Boston yesterday and got good marks. They have change my checkups in Boston from weekly to evey two weeks. My blood counts are where they should be and I am showing no signs of GVHD. (graft vs host). My eyebrows, lashes and facial hair are returning. Crystal is making fun of me because they are coming in so thick. My instructions today from her where to update your blog and shave that damn thing off (my mustache).

0 Degrees.  Fool we saw on bike in Boston

Yesterday, we went and visited my parents. It was the first time I had been to their house since I went to Boston. I am not supposed to visit other people’s houses due to risk of me catching something. Crystal and I decided that we could make an exception to go to my parents. No one has been sick in their house lately and if you know my Mom, you know how spotless her house is! It was good to get out of the house and see them.

Work also extended my Medical Leave until April. This is great news on many levels. Hopefully by April I will be able to ease my way back into the real world and actually begin to interact with people again.

Only 1% of the old Chad is still kicking...

A couple of weeks ago, I had a test done that tests my immune system to see how much of my immune system is my old defective immune system vs. my new donor’s immune system. Normally at this point, the doctors want to see at least 85% to 90% of the patients immune system as the donor's. Mine tests out at 99% donor. This is great news. This means the transplant is taking and setting up shop in my super sexy, boney, 150 lb elderly looking body.


We also found out that we can now stretch out our check-up appointments to every 2 weeks. This is great news. We will now only need to go to Boston twice a month vs. every week.

Even though my counts look great, I continue to struggle with eating. I think the worst of that is behind us. Certain food tastes better at times. I am having about 2 milkshakes a day to get some calories in. If they didn’t already have enough calories, Crystal bought the calorie packs that are nothing more than 330 calories. She had to buy them online.

In an effort to start to regain some muscle, I decided to setup my bike trainer in the basement.  Only 2/3's of our basement has been cleaned well enough for me to inhabit.  My bike was in the the furnace room.  This is a room that is strictly off limits due to dust and grime.  But, I wanted my bike...  so I held my breath, ran into the furnace room, dug to get to my bike (covered with Christmas paper filled trash bags awaiting their trip to the dump) and also grabbed my biking shoes.  By the time I was setup, I was already winded.   I ended up getting a 10 minute ride in.  Felt like 20 miles.

I still have no hair.  My eyebrows are starting to come back along with some sort of mutant mustache.