Easter Day

I’m now on the next stage of the transplant. It’s all less dramatic than being in the bubble, but the first hundred days of survival is very important. At about 100 days it is possible for the graft versus host disease to kick in but in the first 100 days it’s all about avoiding infection.

For this reason I’ve not been able to visit my mother. She is still in hospital and probably won’t be discharged until Tuesday or Wednesday. The contrast between where she is and the Marsden couldn’t be more apparent. I just can’t wait until she is out and not in danger of acquiring an infection.

I am incredibly tired. I suppose it’s the drugs but it is difficult to stay awake and as for concentrating on reading, forget it! Eating is a bit of a battlefield too as I rarely feel hungry. On the other hand I still have a lot of fluid puffing up my face so I look like a hamster.

It was interesting meeting a couple of people at the Marsden who had had bone marrow transplants in the past. It would seem they were having some out-patient treatment, a bit like car servicing. I don’t think that my treatment, unlike some people, will mean being able to walk away completely cured, but I have come round to the way of understanding how it may be in the future. It takes time to adjust to the fact.

It’s Easter Day. The time of rebirth and renewal and it really is so significant for me. Happy Easter to all of you - may it be the time of renewal for you all.