October 13

Day 10 post-transplant. Mike the nurse says by Day 9 most patients are on narcotics from mucositis pain. I havn’t had any pain or nausea or fever yet, just one mild mouth sore. I’m almost, but not quite, ready to claim that I’ve made it through without the big side effects. The blood counts bottomed out yesterday (white cell count was 0.1 (normally between 4 and 11)) and are just starting to rise today as those stem cells, troopers all of them, do their thing.

Thanksgiving Day. Brian Menounos flew in from Prince George for a visit and we are going to seek out a takeout turkey dinner if they exist (Denny’s?). I have to avoid restaurants and the turkey they’re going to serve in the hospital today doesn’t have me too excited. If all else fails at least I’ve been getting pumpkin pie: yesterday I got an afternoon pass and Brian and Kristyn and I watched a DVD at my place while Kristyn baked a couple pies. I have to count another supporter on my supporter list: Brian’s son Nathan, age 2, who made me some finger paintings that now adorn my wall.

The doc just came by on her rounds, said I’m doing amazingly well and joked that I could have done this on an outpatient basis. Stuff could still happen in the next day or two, but since it’s Thanksgiving Day I’m going to assume that it won’t, and give thanks to my god (a little-known Navajo tree god). Another afternoon pass today; our plan is that Brian takes a picture of me on my bike and I post a print of it on the Inspiration Highway, labeled “Bicycling on Stem Cell Transplant Day 10”.