13 months on and I've still got a big one

I've reduced my blogging frequency these days, because there isn't a lot to say other than my recovery is progressing nicely, and as expected.

First of all, the big news - my latest scan is completely clear. I am thrilled with this. The only thing to note is my spleen is still enlarged slightly - but we still think this is its new size because of the amount it was stretched previously. You all have my permission to say "there goes Trev - he's got a big spleen, you know". Plus - you know what they say about big spleens :-)

My Lymphocyte chimerism (ratio of my old Lymphocytes Vs new donor ones) is 87% donor / 13% old. This is good, and slowly moving in the right direction. The old Lymphocytes are where I had the cancer, so I definitely want them gone.

My Lymphocyte count has increased to 0.9. This is still very low, but it has increased from 0.7 last time - so it also moving in the right direction. My antibodies are low too. While these are low, I continue to be at increased risk of catching viruses and not being able to get rid of them without medical intervention. Case in point - I have been suffering from a cold for the past 5 weeks. From week to week it varies in strength - it gets worse to the point where I'm sneezing and coughing with a fever and then suddenly it wanes and becomes hardly noticeable (as it is right now).

So, it's all positive at the moment. Life is good. Work keeps me busy full time now, plus we moved house two weeks ago and we're settling-in well here - plenty to be happy about.

Happy Birthday, new immune system!

On Feb 4th, it will be one year since my new immune system was injected into me in the form of stem cells. I remember being impressed that they were flown in from Germany that day and whisked straight to the hospital to be given to me. I still can't get my head around the miracle that our bodies are - how did the stem cells know they had to form bone marrow? How did they know where to go? I find it all fascinating.

Overall, it's been a good year. It took a few weeks to recover from the intensity of the transplant but from April onwards, apart from the chest infections that put me back in hospital, I've felt quite healthy. Of course, that statement is skimming over a lot of details - looking back at the blog, there were many bumps along the way. In general, though, it's been good.

I have a scan coming up later this month to see if there is any sign of Lymphoma. I doubt I'll have any problems with that. What I will watch closely, though, is when my Lymphocyte count starts to rise - hopefully then my chimerism ratio will improve and I will not create any more mutated (cancerous) Lymphocytes.

Still healthy and getting on with life

I haven't checked-in for a while. This is because I'm still doing well and staying healthy. In spite of lots of family members coming down with heavy colds over Christmas, I have managed to remain mostly bug-free. I feel that I spent the last few weeks running from people who were sick, but it appeared to work. I also continue to avoid crowded areas where there is a chance I might catch something.
Just before Christmas, I did come down with a slight cold. I feared for the worst at the time, but it cleared up within a few days and I've been feeling great since. I'm very happy that I beat a cold - I take that as a sign that my immune system is starting to ramp up.
I am also continuing with my work rhythm of 2-3 days in the office and the rest of the week working from home. This is working well for me and I feel very productive and have good concentration levels at the moment.
The next step for me is to have another set of scans within the next month. This will show any activity by the Lymphoma. I'm not expecting anything to show up, just based on how well I feel.

Back on track

The past month, since getting out of hospital, has been great. The haemoglobins did the trick, killed the virus and protected me from other colds - there were times I was convinced I'd catch something as I met others with heavy colds. But no, I got away with it. Shame the haemoglobins only last a few weeks.

So, it's back to "normal" for me now. Basically staying fit (I'm running again), healthy (very difficult when everyone seems to have a virus), and watching my lymphocyte count in the hope it will start rising before too long. As much as possible, I avoid places where I might catch a virus.

I have found a good work rhythm which involves 2 days in the office and working from home the rest of the week. This doesn't seem as tiring as three days in the office and I'm happy with my current concentration levels.

All eyes now turn to January, when I will have my next scan to check for lymphoma. I'm feeling positive about this because I feel so well, so I think it'll be fine.

Feeling better again

Well, it took a few weeks, but I finally feel like I'm over the virus. I really take my hat off to the staff at the hospital who looked after me so well. I feel that there was no effort (or expense) spared in treating me and giving me the best fighting chance to beat the virus. Clearly the immunoglobulins and antivirals helped a lot - unpleasant as they were at the time. I'm still feeling the effects of the medication, though, as the antivirals made me anaemic. While my red blood counts are slowly rising, it'll be a few weeks before I'm fully up to speed. I have a blood test weekly to monitor this and ensure it's going in the right direction.

I am also more cautious about where I go these days and who I meet. A chance meeting with someone with a cold could put me in hospital again, until my lymphocyte count gets back to normal. I don't want that, so I'll be watching people closely everywhere I go, and will work from home as much as I can, in order to minimise my exposure to bugs. Just for a few more months until my immune system is stronger.

But, overall I'm still positive. This was a virus and nothing to do with Lymphoma. In the grand scheme of things, It's all looking good.

Back home

The drugs are finally all administered and I managed to get home late yesterday evening. Now it's all about resting and recuperating.
There is one potential sting in the tail - one of the drugs I've been taking has a side effect of making you anaemic. Indeed, my latest blood test shows my red blood count to be very low. As a result, I will probably need a blood transfusion on Thursday. Something to look forward to, as I was already starting to miss the hospital 😀
On the positive side, it's great to be home to see Sue, the kids and the dog again.

More drugs than you can shake a stick at

Remember I said that after 30 hours of IV immunoglobulins, all the medicine was in and all I need to do is wait for it to work its magic? well, it turns out I need another dose - same again, 20 to 30 hours on a drip. Not sure how that happened and how we lost track, but luckily someone was keeping count and realised I still needed more.
So, here I am back on the drip until sometime tomorrow. I think the nurses are relieved because I am starting to feel better and was getting a bit frisky - does nobody get Fr. Ted jokes anymore?
The other drawback with this new drip is I won't be able to do any household chores for the next two months. The doctor didn't explicitly say that, but I could tell that's what he meant. Actually, I think he meant six months, but I love Sue too much and will gladly sacrifice myself and help her out after Christmas.