post stem cell transplant ......recovering...

Day 63 post stem cell transplant, crikey! In some ways it's gone super fast and in other ways well...it hasn't! 

Christmas was busy and my counts were recovering uber fast, I was feeling pretty good and I was excited to be able to socialise. Looking back I over did it and it wasn't much suprise that I was admitted to hospital on New Year's Eve with an infection. That night I felt properly ill and it was quite scarey, I was vaguely aware of fireworks at midnight but I was pretty out of it really. The main concern the docs had was that it could have been an infection around my portacath, so they hit it hard with intra-venous antibiotics. In the end they concluded it was probably a virus, it felt like it was probably flu, which I haven't had before. Three weeks on and I am finally feeling fully well, but it definitely set me back so I have been very much taking it easy. Actually that's not strictly true a week ago I went to the gym with a friend and she was talking me through some squats and we did some cardio, two days later I played badminton and then basically couldn't walk for about 4 days, but apart from that I have been taking it easy, honest. 

I am still pretty bald although I do have about 2mm of baby hair, but it only covers maybe 70% of my head so it's not the real deal. It is dark though, I thought for a little while it was looking grey which I wasn't ready for at all!

I had a PET scan today, the consultant will call me in about a week with the result. If it's clear I don't have another scan unless I develop symptoms, I will have check ups every 2 months for a year, and then less and less subsequent years. If I see 5 years I am said to be cured. If the scan's not clear I will have to start bucket list take two! Anyway, it's totally clear, of course it is :)

This April I turn forty, I am so grateful! No party, no fuss- just waking up and breathing and being bloody forty is soooooo amazing.

The future is hard to see because it's so uncertain, but there are so many people in a similar situation and I know I will learn to live with uncertainty and also make plans; but at the moment that seems impossible so I will just take each day as it comes.

In other news, I have started singing lessons, oh yeah! Watch this space! I am fully going to audition for the local musical theatre group this summer! Ok, so that's an future actual plan, cool, good start !!!

Hugs :)