93!
My mother-in-law turned 93 today. Her hospital experience came to an end today and we celebrated at her assisted living residence. Ninety three is quite an achievement and when you can make it with all your mental faculties then it's certainly worth getting there.
I made my "first connection" call Thursday night to a fellow who will be following in my footsteps starting on the 14th. That's when his visit begins to get his bone marrow transplant at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The actual transplant will take place on the 21st.
It seems hard to imagine that I am kind of like a grizzled veteran when it comes to all of this( though I don't shave every day). But, with almost two years having elapsed since my own transplant, I have a lot of experience to share with those who are just embarking on the transplant journey.
This man tried to dodge the transplant bullet and managed to do so for a year but his disease returned leaving him with no choice. Like me, he was fortunate to have them find a donor so quickly. I really liked his attitude. Upbeat and positive.
As for me, I'm awaiting Wednesday's trip to Mass Eye And Ear to see what the next step(s) will be relative to my eyes. As far as I can tell there has really been no change in the past six weeks.
That's both good and bad...
Bob
December 1, 2010 11:45 PM
I got another one to do!
It's my fourth "first connection" call. From what I hear, people do not frequently get asked to do this. So I am somewhat takem aback why I have been already selected so many times. However, I definitely feel that it is the least that I can do in order to help someone who is now walking in my footsteps. We are a somewhat limited group(as it should be). And it is a path that can certainly be daunting at times. Needing someone to talk to can be of invaluable help. I'm glad to be someone who can provide some assistance.
My bridge marathon came to a close today with two more matches. I was fortunate to come out on the high side all four times. I must say that it's a fun game and it helps to keep what little mind that I have functioning as well as it can. The fellow that we played against tonight is also a dabbler in home repair, etc. So, we had fun swapping war stories over gingerbread after the match.
It has been a good few days. I still don't notice any obvious changes in my eyesight. It's something that will be addressed next Wednesday.
I'm still more than grateful for what I have...
Bob
It's my fourth "first connection" call. From what I hear, people do not frequently get asked to do this. So I am somewhat takem aback why I have been already selected so many times. However, I definitely feel that it is the least that I can do in order to help someone who is now walking in my footsteps. We are a somewhat limited group(as it should be). And it is a path that can certainly be daunting at times. Needing someone to talk to can be of invaluable help. I'm glad to be someone who can provide some assistance.
My bridge marathon came to a close today with two more matches. I was fortunate to come out on the high side all four times. I must say that it's a fun game and it helps to keep what little mind that I have functioning as well as it can. The fellow that we played against tonight is also a dabbler in home repair, etc. So, we had fun swapping war stories over gingerbread after the match.
It has been a good few days. I still don't notice any obvious changes in my eyesight. It's something that will be addressed next Wednesday.
I'm still more than grateful for what I have...
Bob
November 30, 2010 12:20 AM
I had an excuse!
There was a mass outage of the internet last night so I didn't get to make any post for the day. Not that I had much to post - but I was prepared to do something.
I suppose that it's time to update everyone on my medication status. How boring that must be for you all! However, I think that one of them may be very beneficial as my friend who was diagnosed in April last year now has the shingles which has left marks on her face that look like bruises.
So here goes...
Pro-graf - an immunosuppressant
acyclovir - to prevent chicken pox and shingles
prednisone - to keep some of the transplant side effects in check
bactrim - to prevent pneumonia
As for the eyes...
serum tears - to replace the tears that my eyes currently no longer produce
kineret - to decrease inflammation
vigamox - to fight infection
Pretty exciting suff!! The first group will definitely stay in effect until February as that is my next Dana-Farber appointment. As for the others, next Wednesday will tell the tale here. I don't expect many changes because I haven't seen many changes in my eyes.
As for daily living, we're back into bridge again - played with friends Saturday night, in our couples league tonight*we won), and in the men's league and couples league on Wednesday. A busy schedule but it's fun and it keeps the mind churning.
Enough of boring all of you, until the next time...
Bob
There was a mass outage of the internet last night so I didn't get to make any post for the day. Not that I had much to post - but I was prepared to do something.
I suppose that it's time to update everyone on my medication status. How boring that must be for you all! However, I think that one of them may be very beneficial as my friend who was diagnosed in April last year now has the shingles which has left marks on her face that look like bruises.
So here goes...
Pro-graf - an immunosuppressant
acyclovir - to prevent chicken pox and shingles
prednisone - to keep some of the transplant side effects in check
bactrim - to prevent pneumonia
As for the eyes...
serum tears - to replace the tears that my eyes currently no longer produce
kineret - to decrease inflammation
vigamox - to fight infection
Pretty exciting suff!! The first group will definitely stay in effect until February as that is my next Dana-Farber appointment. As for the others, next Wednesday will tell the tale here. I don't expect many changes because I haven't seen many changes in my eyes.
As for daily living, we're back into bridge again - played with friends Saturday night, in our couples league tonight*we won), and in the men's league and couples league on Wednesday. A busy schedule but it's fun and it keeps the mind churning.
Enough of boring all of you, until the next time...
Bob
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