Day +97 Ouch, Progress, Gollum, Salad, Bday

Todays bone marrow biopsy was ouch. My Dad was with me at today's appointment and got to finally see me undergo this procedure. No screaming, just pillow clutching and grimacing. I was hoping he would read his paper cuz I had doubts about his ability to dispassionately watch the proceedings. But no. He had to watch. I thank God I did not have to watch, mainly cuz I laid on my belly as they cork screwed into my tailbone someplace. I hear the tool is very impressive. And, thank God this will be my last bmb until next January.

I've posted my blood counts on the blog page. The highlight is that my whites made a dramatic 25% jump from 2.8 to 3.5. Since I stopped the antibiotic Septra 12 days ago this was the hoped for result. My platelets rose a few points too, signaling a believable end to their mysterious slide of April 1 through April 8. I have 7 more days on the trial drug Maribavir. I am told the end of this drug will also result in improved blood counts. Progress is sweet. My doctor gave me the speech about how the infection protection I'm getting from the drugs I'm taking outweigh the protection I'd get from simply higher blood counts. So it's a trade off, the drugs suppress the blood counts to some degree.

Hairy update. I used my electric shaver's clipper attachment to run around my head over the weekend. The way my hair is growing, up close it appears that random follicles are growing at different speeds and different thicknesses but always gray; I was well on my way to looking like Gollum, 'my precious'. My brief reverse mohawk look would have been a soothing sight by comparison to a single strand comb over. If I let my teeth rot I could join the Hobbit circus, getting extra tips for showing the braided 3 hairs growing on my left big toe. Well, that's another story. The body is still up-ended at this point. I can still feel the ongoing confusion. Believe it or not, I havent written about everything that has happened to me since my transplant!

Last Friday there was a brief hint by a nurse about a possible end to my neutropenic diet. The goal of this diet is to minimize the introduction of bacteria. I've been on this since January 2. The diet is difficult to follow during strawberry season. I cant eat fresh fruits, raw nuts, salads, leftovers, many cheeses; the list goes on and on.
Today my doc said I can now eat 'anything I want' provided it is prepared at home. I can now eat strawberries, apples, cheeses, salads, etc. The one thing I'm still not allowed to eat is restaurant-prepared food. I especially must not eat at buffet style restaurants where food is left out for all to sneeze on. Kinda scary, that. I think I'll take Soup Exchange permanently off my list after the nurse told me some stories about it.

Maddies 16th birthday was yesterday. We threw her a home cooked family party. After supper we sucked up the helium in half a dozen balloons, talking like Mike Tyson and Betty Boop. We had a blast. We love her and I am very glad to still be around to enjoy this event in her life.

Good health to all! Thank You for all you good wishes!