So, what's next?

Because I've been recovering well from the transplant (couple of extra visits to the hospital aside), people have been asking am I nearly done with treatment.
The answer is no - still a long way to go.....

The transplant itself is a very tough procedure from which it will take me some more months to recover. I still suffer from fatigue and cannot do too much without needing to sit down and catch my breath. It will take a few months for me to get over that (although I aim, through exercise, Guinness and black pudding, to get through this sooner).

Even though my new immune system appears to be embedding well, it is being suppressed through medication so that it gradually gets used to my body and doesn't attack it. This leaves me open to infection and is one of the main reasons for my hospital visits so far. We will continue to suppress it for at least another couple of months, so that risk remains for the foreseeable future and will stop me from doing too much in public in case I catch something.

When we do eventually ease off on the immuno-suppression drugs, we will then see how much graft-versus-host plays up. If it gets bad, then this will need management with the docs - or it might be very minor (a slight rash, or something). However, the sooner I get to this phase, the better as far as I am concerned, because this will finally allow the new immune system to operate at full strength and hopefully attack any Lymphoma that is still there.

Because I have a brand new immune system, I am in many ways like a newborn baby with little or no immunity or resistance to bugs. Everything I have been vaccinated against has gone and I need to have my baby jabs all over again. I'll also probably catch every cold going. I will, however, draw the line at wearing nappies and eating pureed apple, cucumber and carrot pots no matter how much Sue protests.

It will take the rest of the year (and beyond) to see how well the new immune system is fighting the Lymphoma. Through bone marrow biopsies and CT scans, we will be able to see if there is any activity by the Lymphoma.

So, I'm doing really well so far, having been through the transplant itself with minimal complications. It will be the summer before I start to even think about going back to work and later in the year before we can draw any conclusions on how well it's fighting the Lymphoma. In my mind, though, with a 60-70% chance of a cure, there is no reason why the news won't be all good. After a year of treatment, it's my turn to have the upper hand, baby!