Wednesday 06-08-11 Day +15

Today was my first day as an outpatient!  It was an unbelievable feeling to be released yesterday…very emotional, happy, scared, etc.  Wade had this apartment shined up and looking so inviting and beautiful.  It was awesome!  We had a good night, except for me waking up through the night expecting someone to come in and take vitals!  This morning we went to the hospital to get blood drawn and have my first out-patient appointment.  This is all done in the Ambulatory Treatment Center on the 10th floor.  You are checked in to a little outpatient hospital room where they will give you any IV blood products, fluids, etc. that you might need, see the PharmD and Nurse Practitioner on your team and then go home.  They told me that for a while I will go there every day , 7 days a week.  Once a week you will see your Transplant Doctor there.  This is a safer area of the hospital instead of in the clinics where there are lots of sick people. The coolest thing is that I still don’t need any blood products!!!  Hemoglobin actually went up, platelets actually went up, both just a little bit, and my white count is hanging in at 3.6 so I needed no neupogen shots!  All I had to get was a bag of magnesium.  One of my rejection drugs depletes magnesium.  All in all it was a great day, just long!  My biggest problem is with the mucinitis in my throat, very painful ulcerated sores caused by the chemo drugs I took before transplant.  They have given me numbing rinse which helps tremendously and they assure me it will be over soon.  I am doing so unbelievably well right now!

This morning the last few straggling hairs were quickly trimmed from my head and I have to admit it looks pretty dang good!  So far I have refused to cover!  Nite yall!