Hi guys!  Sorry I haven’t written in a few days.  But it’s really because there isn’t much to report.  I’m doing really well.  If I was at home and not hooked up to Poley McPoleface, I would mostly feel like myself.  Maybe just a sleepier version of myself.  I am having a little back pain today, but nothing we can’t stay on top of.

My doctors are really happy with the way I am progressing, and as far as I can tell, the worst is behind me.  I do know that one of the drugs I am taking, Methotrexate, can cause mouth and throat discomfort.  I do feel a tiny bit of a sore throat, but nothing that I would even consider taking a Halls for yet.  But we remain on the lookout.  I am told if it gets bad, I get to have one of those pain drips that I can control at my fingertips, so that’s not too shabby.  But the odds are just as good that it will stay as mild as it is today.

I had physical therapy just now, and while I have been (mostly) doing my exercises as told, it’s good to have someone here pushing me.  It is just too easy to fall down an HGTV rabbit hole.

Today is Day +5 and I wanted to show you some of my blood counts.  The major ones we are waiting to recover right now are the White Blood Cells (WBCs) and the Neutrophils, which are a type of WBC that are the first to respond to infection.  Right now, since my WBCs are so low, they can’t even count the Neutrophils.  Once my Neutrophils reach certain milestones, I can (a.) walk the halls again (I’m currently confined to my room), and (b.) leave the hospital!  So those are key counts to watch.  Once I engraft, meaning Nan’s bone marrow has taken hold, then those counts should start to go up.  It’s just a waiting game at this point.