Happy New Year everyone, I hope you had a great one. I’m writing tonight with a little post-Xmas update as I’ve managed to stay out of hospital and to keep those chicken pox from invading. I’ve been pretty non-stop throughout the Christmas Season, but not so much that I got really worn out. The week prior to Xmas I really felt terrible, no energy, no appetite, lots of muscle discomfort, I generally felt crappy. But a couple of days before Xmas I started going, and I was able to keep it flowing without trouble. I had my nights where I rested and recharged yet I remained fairly active, certainly far more active than I have been since coming home from Ottawa.
Having seen my Doc last Friday, he told me that I could expect that the pox would present themselves as pneumonia, and if that was to happen it would probably be in the next 3-4 days. So far no major troubles at all. Having said that tonight I do feel as though I’m brewing something. Could be my first flu with my new immune-system? Nothing too bad, just some nasal congestion and what feels like a flu. I’ll do a “no flu dance” tonight as I don’t need one of those yet, not that there’s ever a good time, but I wouldn’t mind waiting another several months before trying out my Dad’s stem cells.
Aside from my little flu feelings tonight I have really been feeling well, well enough to have my mind get active again. I’ve started to think through my transition from “active Patient” to a more active lifestyle and while I don’t feel I’m ready for that just yet I do feel that I can and will get more active. I’m presently weighing in at about 170 pounds, which is too many pounds below my “fighting” weight and getting some of those pounds back on is of great interest to me. Preferably that will happen with extra and much needed muscle, which is largely within my control as long as my energy can remain steady.
On the medical side my big concern right now is my Hickman Catheter, which is still in my chest. I had this one put in just before leaving for Ottawa at the end of September and right now it isn’t getting much use, only once a week for my blood test. Those of you who were with me during my Original Series may remember that it was my original Hickman that lead to my “summer sleep” in 1999. Hickmans are a life-saver as it provides IV access for all my meds, chemo, blood tests, for virtually anything that I would ordinarily have to get a needle, however they can also be a life-taker, or almost a life-taker in my case. The major downfall of Hickmans is that they are prone to infection, and a Hickman infection is never a good thing, especially after a Transplant. During my Original Series it was my Hickman infection that lead to my septic shock and ICU complications.
The situation right now is that we are at a stage where I am only using my Hickman once a week, which is not enough to justify keeping it. However I am also at a stage where GVH could get out of hand, or any number of complications could arise and my Hickman would be welcomed should meds and blood tests become more frequent. The challenge is knowing when the risk of having my Hickman outweighs the benefits should I get sick and require it. I’ve discussed this with my Doc a couple of times and hopefully things in my blood and body will remain steady over the next several weeks and we can get rid of my Hickman.
It’s not something I have spent a lot of time thinking about, but I will say that as the days go by, and the weeks go by where it is used once for blood and when I clean and flush it at home, I do think that the time to “pull” it is fast approaching. Here’s hoping my blood stays healthy and my Hickman comes out soon. As with most everything I’ll keep you in the loop.
Happy New Year and I’ll be back soon.
Always…
Live Life. Love Life.
Geoff
