Two Months After the Transplant

DAY +60 (post-transplant):

"I go to the BMT clinic twice a week, so far my lab work is looking good. Dylan takes me on his way to work and Ken picks me up after he gets off work, so we manage to pull it off . I was just telling Jessica on the phone today that I am feeling housebound, but Ken says everybody in central Arizona feels that way because of the summer heat right now. We all stay indoors with the air conditioning and look out the window at the huge white clouds building up in the sizzling heat. I was hoping to be out of the hospital in time for the desert monsoon season. Welcome monsoon!"

"I have had a temporary loss of hearing in one ear because of the medications I was taking. This is supposed to come back eventually. I do have one good ear left to hear any gossip or good stories you mught want to tell me."

Much Better, Seeing Family & Friends

"This is my dear niece Crystal, who is getting married in February. I'm really happy for her. She visited me today with her parents and her Grandma. I wish her much happiness. We are all proud of her and love her very much."

"I am settling in at home and feeling much better. I have an appetite now, so home cooking tastes just fine. Lots of dietary restrictions to follow, but we manage to come up with pretty nice meals. I enjoy seeing my friends and relatives who have been dropping by. Besides Crystal's visit along with my brother Raymond, his wife Sally and my mom, I also had a visit from Ken's sisters Cheryl and Karen today. Yesterday, our friends James and Claudia came by. I can't really go out in public yet, or be exposed to anyone with a virus or infection, so I am stuck at home for awhile. Not that I am complaining, because it is wonderful compared to being in the hospital."

"Feel free to make a comment on this blog, email me, telephone or send a letter. I am trying to answer all the mail that I received over the past several weeks. I still go in to the BMT clinic a couple times a week, for out-patient treatments. Talking with the other leukemia patients, I find that we have been through an ordeal, some much worse than others. I was lucky in that my brother was a perfect match for the bone marrow transplant. It makes for fewer complications and cut way back on the waiting time. Some people said they had to wait almost a year for a donor, getting repeated chemotherapy while on the waiting list. My brother really saved my life. The lab results showed last week that my blood cells are now 100% exactly the same DNA as Raymond's! Now THERE is something to confuse any CSI investigators... Fortunately, I don't think either of us is prone to criminal activity! "

-Margaret

HOME! Home on the Range...

DAY +44 (post transplant): "Today Ken came to get me and brought me home from the hospital. This photo shows me standing at the spot where Dylan cooked me a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup for dinner. A grilled cheese sandwich tastes so much more delicious AT HOME. The past couple of weeks, Ken and Dylan have been on their own in our kitchen, making their own meals. Some pizza delivery too, I suspect.

A minor infection had developed into a fever, which developed into pneumonia. Transplant patients are very susceptible to infection from everyday germs during the first 100 days after the transplant. The staff at the City of Hope Bone Marrow Transplant clinic and the Good Samaritan ICU got me strong enough to come home again. Ken visited me almost every day and even spent three nights at the hospital next to my bed. Dylan, Erin, my Mom, Kate and Kathy also visited. I know others wanted to see me, but the staff & my family were protective. I appreciate all the prayers for my recovery and all the good thoughts sent my way. I'm VERY happy to be home! I'm trying to build my strength back up here at home. Doctors orders are that I exercise (by walking around inside my home), eat well, and get a lot of rest. Thanks to Ken's sister Karen for helping the guys keep the place clean while I was out. All in all, there's really no place like home." -Margaret

Erin visits her Mom

Margaret's daughter Erin journeyed from Los Angeles over the past weekend to cheer up her mother. She made several visits to the hospital, including one on Sunday when Margaret's own mother accompanied her. Along with the excellent nursing and medical care, the visits by Erin and Carmen seemed to have worked! Margaret is doing much better now. She is off the supplemental oxygen, she is walking around the ward every few hours, she is eating solid food with almost no nausea, no more catheters, no more nourishment via IV, and she just seems so much more like herself. Still has a mild low grade temp (about 100 degrees), had mild anemia so she received one unit of blood, still receiving antibiotics via IV, and had a new PICC installed today. A few medical things to resolve as you can see. But, the doctors started talking about sending her home in a few days, maybe as soon as Friday or Saturday. Yesss!