Going Home!!!

I have good news people!!! I am so excited. I’m coming home tomorrow. I get to be a once a week check up kind of girl at the Farber.
On paper, I look fabulous. A little water chugging, and my creatinine was back to normal. I’m wondering if I can just take some tubing and bags of fluids home with me and administer them myself. I have my line, it’s an easy task, and I’m guaranteed to stay hydrated. It’s a win/win.
I did have a little flank pain (pain in the low back above the hip bone). These are times I battle with knowing what I know, Do I tell about the flank pain because I should or do I omit the information so I don’t draw unnecessary attention to my kidneys. I did eventually tell them. I’m erring on the side of caution know.
My WBC and RBC have plummeted, but that is the chemo working. I’m no longer taking neupogen to grow my immune system, it’s me know. My H&H also looked good 9.8 & 28.9 respectively. General they transfuse for a hematrocrit less than 26. I’m in the clear!
My platelets are holding steady at 122 (155-410 is normal) Thank fact that I have them 14 days after transplant is wonderful. I can also use a regular toothbrush! No flossing yet, but I’m a step back towards my pretty teeth.
One step closer to home, a fresh clean home due to all the wonderful friends we have where I can cook full meals, in an oven, and start putting my life back together in small steps.
YES, I feel good enough to make dinners for my family! How exciting, and I’’ll get to see X in his costume.
Believe it or not my Chem& was perfect, flawless. My liver function tests were high the other day as a side effect from the chemo regimine, but they are going down nicely.
My liver is a trooper! She has been through a lot and she’s sticking by me!
As far as other transplant news, I’m all ready starting to have some weird personality quirks. Believe it or not, I’m a frugal, frugal girl. I hate coming out of my pocket for much. I generally like to put myself together nicely, and look expensive, except I’m an outlet, clearance rack kind of girl. I can be because I’m an abnormal size.
Anyway, I’m getting cravings to by earrings! I have bought one pair in my entire life. I never really front on looking pretty, but now I’m having trouble containing myself. I want my Tiffany’s necklace, which my friend so graciously gave me the cash for. These are words would never have come out of my mouth before, but it’s like cancer armor, if my insides suck then I want to look okay outside.
This happened after my first transplant too. The first things out of my mouth were “Heather, do you have blush and lipstick?”
I was never a make-up girl. I had never ever said those words before. I was bald, in pain, with skin sloughing off, what the hell are blush and lipstick going to do to improve my looks?
Now I’m after pretty jewelry. I have pretty jewelry, a lot in fact, but believe it or not, this is the product of my son and my husband. Jon wants to me appear a certain way, specifically expensive. My jewels are things he wanted me to have. I can’t complain.
I’m also after a pretty dress for winter, just one. I think I do deserve a cute little outfit for my troubles. I’m going to do a little retail therapy celebration. Every girl needs this. It’s therapeutic.
Bankruptcy, however, is not therapeutic. It’s theorized there is a “shopping high” created from rushes of dopamine and serotonin dumping into you system when you shop the same way an antidepressant would. Watch out. An estimated 15 million of Americans are compulsive shoppers, and 90& of those millions are woman, so beware of the cancer card at times.
I’ve been infused with girl genes. This is clear. It’s happened twice now. I don’t think it’s going to cure me of my tomboy ways. I may get little character changes, but I am looking forward to some combat sports in the future. I’ll go play some soccer when I can actually move. I get to go outside without a mask! I’ll start with my walks again immediately. I can exercise as my body tolerates. Eventually, I’ll start running again.
Here is a great statistic I Learned from Khris Carr of Crazy Sexy cancer Fame, The body heals 8x faster with exercise. Exercise is actually a relatively unexplored area of healing, but if you do a little analytical thinking, the body has two circulatory systems, the blood and the lymph. The blood is circulated by the heart’ s pumping. Exercise allows the heart to pump more efficiently.
The lymph system, however, needs a hand, this is why we exercise. Without movement, the lymph will remain stagnate in the tissues waiting on the lymph system to carry off their waste that are stuck wallowing in toxins. The lymphatic system is in place to help carry of toxins and detoxify through the addition of nutrients and oxygen (through exercise) that can be excreted out through the liver. It needs exercise to give it a little push along.
That’s my simple pathological response to why I need to exercise. This goes for others in general. I’m starting with walking and bouncing on my mini trampoline, I’ll step up from there.
Those are my tentative plans for my move. I’ll be sure to let you all know how that goes. It’s amazing, many people will think the battle is over, but I’m still far from done. I’ll give you more details on that in the future.