T+17 (Home for the Holidays?)

Since the last blog post my blood counts have been steadily increasing and it is now clear that engraftment is taking place. One of the immediate impacts – my mucositis has subsided and eating is no longer so painful!

My medical team is pleased with my progress and believes that I should be ready for discharge early next week. We’ll wait until after the weekend to make a final decision but it is looking very hopeful that I’ll be home for Christmas.

Not to be pessimistic or to be seen as less than grateful for progress to date but I still have many challenges yet to face. In the immediate future, it is highly likely that I will have to deal with graft vs. host disease (GVHD) [I will write more about GVHD in a future blog post]. 

GVHD can manifest itself in many ways, some more serious than others. After my first transplant I had skin rash over most of my body. I was on a steroid for many months to treat the rash.

There is no way predict when or how GVHD will manifest. Further, my medical team has taken deliberate steps to encourage GVHD as there is evidence that GVHD can also include a graft vs leukemia (GVL) effect that can deal with any remaining cancer that might have escaped chemotherapy. 

While GVHD is a near certainty, I am not going to worry too much about it right now. Instead, I am going to celebrate engraftment and look forward to enjoying the holidays at in the comfort of my home.

Thanks for listening,

Mike