The Loss of Outdoor Friends

I checked my email after the last post, something I had not done for several days, and as the tears clouded my eyes, I did not get very far. Craig Martinson- your spirit will live on! Craig was a kind and gentle person, quick with wit and a great friend to many of us. He certainly has been an inspiration to me as I have battled cancer.

I also want to salute a longtime industry friend, Rob Hart, who died in a ski accident in February. Rob was the inventor of the Crazy Creek camping chair, a campsite staple. One of the industry originals, he had a sense of humor and absurdity about the outdoor industry and life in general. He will be sadly missed.

Back at Home - and a Slight Setback

Day twelve. On Thursday, I was discharged after a class on how to care for the Hickman catheter. It was a tiring day, but it was great to get home even though things look bare without all my plants. The big chore each day is getting all the medicenes taken at the right times- the anti-rejection drugs; the antiviral, antifungal, anti-yeast, and antibiotic pills; mineral supplements; blood pressure regulators; medicene to prevent nausea; and drugs to prevent stomach ulcers and protect the liver. Then there are pain pills, anti-diarrhea tablets, and sleeping aids as needed.

Friday went well, with lots of extra sleep, and the security of my favorite foods in the refrigerator. I've still been somewhat nauseous, so I have to pick and choose what I can manage to eat.

This morning, I woke up with a sharp pain on my right side and very short of breath. It was below the chest catheter, so I was afraid I was developing a lung infection, and back the hospital it would be. Denise drove me to my daily BMT clinic visit and luckily my main consulting doctor was doing weekend duty. After checking vitals and poking around, we concluded that I had probably fractured a rib while coughing during a period of nausea.

That was much better than an infection at this point, although it seems silly to think of a broken rib as good news. I've been down that road before after bicycle crashes, and I'll just have to ride it out.

Homeward Bound?

I woke up to some surprise news this morning, as the team of doctors I see each morning announced that I could be released to home care as early as this weekend, over a week earlier than I expected. With the blood cell counts steadily improving after the transplant, and no signs yet of infection or Graft Vs. Host Disease, they say I can improve as easily at home as in the hospital.

We had to coordinate our small group of home care providers quickly to attend the BMT care giving classes on Thursday before I can be discharged. The various IV drugs I am still getting are being changed over to pill form so I can take them at home. With several months yet to go, being quarantined at home will give me more space to move around in and more projects to relieve boredom, plus the comfort of my family.

I still will have to return to the BMT clinic every day for the foreseeable future to be checked over and get several injected drugs. With all these drugs, it will be a long time before they'll let me drive, so I will be looking for volunteers for driving occasional shuttles to the clinic at the U of M.

I appreciate all the comments you friends and family have posted here, and hope you find this enjoyable.
-Andy