Back to Work

Exciting things are happening around here!  Last week when I saw Dr. Nash he said it was time to start scheduling my "1yr. Post transplant work up". HOLY COW, can it really have been nearly 1 year already?  Yesterday I did my DEXA (bone density) scan and had a ton of blood drawn for labs.  Today I am going to the dentist (haven't been allowed to go since before my transplant last year).  Next week I will have my pulmonary function test and then on April 7th I will be doing my bone marrow biopsy. Later on in April I will do my other annual appointments (OB/GYN, dermatologist, etc). My appointment to discuss all of the results and my overall health status at this point will be mid April with Dr. Nash and the "long term follow up nurse practitioner, Trudy).  Once we have discussed all the results then we will talk  about the possibility of decreasing my immunosuppressant medications and thus get me closer to being ready for my first round of immunizations.  Dr. Nash mentioned that the vaccines aren't as effective when someone is still on the level of immune suppression that I am on (thanks to my GVHD incident back in October) but he keeps telling me that I am doing well now, so we will see what his thoughts are about this later next month. :)

I am back at work part time and loving it.  I must admit that I am completely exhausted when I work a full day on Friday (working a couple hrs on Weds, a couple on Thurs, and a full day every Friday).  It's so nice to be back with my friends/coworkers.  They even brought in cupcakes to our team meeting on my first day back and the cupcakes said "welcome home Chellie"... I seriously have the sweetest and most caring coworkers ever!  I am so lucky to be back in the office working with them!  :)

Scotty started his new daycare last week and I couldn't be happier.  He seems to enjoy himself and Dottie ("the daycare lady") texted me pictures several times last week to let me know how he was doing.  I love technology! :) 

I am super excited to see my brother and his family next month when they come out to Colorado for a visit with my parents at the cabin.  Kyle and the gang will be stopping by our place not their way back from Pagosa and it will be really special for me to see him almost 1 year (nearly to the day) after he came out to Denver to donate those life saving stem cells to me last April!!!  My "rebirthday" is coming up next month and my "real birthday" is tomorrow... Had never really been super excited about birthdays in the past, but given the events of the past 14 months, I LOVE birthdays now!  Bring them on...they mean that I have made it another year and that is something to celebrate, for sure! :)

-Chellie

Rebirthday Celebration!

Just a quick update to let everyone know what is going on around here these days J

Yesterday was my first day back to work at my old job.  I am working part time (Wed-Friday) about 15-20 hrs a week as needed.  I won’t be able to go out to the emergency rooms like I was doing before, but I will be answering calls on the crisis line, helping callers get registered for intakes and/or referred to the correct agency for different types of services and helping find psychiatric placement for our clients who need inpatient psychiatric care.  I must say, it feels great to be back.  My coworkers are SO amazing and brought cupcakes to the office yesterday that said “welcome home Chellie” J

I saw the doctor yesterday and overall he is still pleased with my progress.  I have 2 massive bruises on my shins which I have NO CLUE where they came from and they look pretty knarly.  Dr. Nash is concerned about them and wants me to keep an eye on them for the next several days to make sure they don’t look worse (if they do, I will have to go back in to the clinic and have him re-evaluate and possibly do some bloodwork to test my clotting factors again (although my platelet count has been within the normal range for the past 3 weeks…so that is good). J

My liver function started correcting itself on its own but the docs (both my Kaiser doc, and transplant doc) agreed that they wanted me back on the liver protecting medication while I remain on the antiviral medication (which is the med that Dr. Nash believes caused my liver function tests to come back elevated).  So, I have restarted that medication and have also started taking the oral/pill form of the magnesium and potassium supplements that my body needs (and I have been getting via IV infusion nightly for the past 2 months since the Norovirus got the best of me in late Nov).  As soon as I can get up to 12-15 magnesium pills and 4-5 potassium pills per day (probably a month or two from now) we should be able to stop the IV infusions and just rely on the oral supplements to do the job.  I am looking forward to that and feel that I’ve done this “dance” with the starting and increasing the magnesium pills super slowly (they can easily upset the GI tract if you go to fast) many times before, so I am an “old pro” at this part now J lol

Next month will be my 1 year “re-birthday”!  I can’t believe its been this long already.  I will have to get a ton of extra bloodwork done, another bone marrow biopsy, as well as repeat pulmonary function and bone density tests to see where I stand now vs. pre-transplant.  Fingers crossed that it’s the same as before and that there hasn’t been any decrease in my lung function or my bone density!

That is all the latest medical news I have for you guys.  We have found a new daycare provider for Scotty and we are very excited for him to start with her mid-March.  I am sure Scotty will miss his time with Grandma Judy, as she has been helping us with him several days each week for the past 2 months, but I know he is a very adaptable kiddo and will also very much enjoy going back to the daycare setting where he gets to play with other kiddos! J

John and I had an absolutely amazing weekend at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs a few weekends ago to celebrate “making it through the past year” and the fact that I have been in remission for about a year now.  We were treated to amazing accommodations in one of the resorts “Brownstone” properties and also got to enjoy a morning at the Broadmoor Spa and we took advantage of their new bowling alley on one of the evenings.  Thanks again for the gift certificate, Jim & Maren…you guys are amazingly generous and we felt so special!  It was an awesome way to relax, celebrate and energize ourselves after such a challenging year!

-Chellie