S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y OFF!

I don't need to go to clinic tomorrow and won't go back until Sunday. Good stuff! White counts are still taking their dip due to coming off the growth stimulant. The amount of dip is within the expectations of the doctors, so it's all good. The platelets are continuing to creep up, which is a good sign. Could mean no need for platelet or whole blood infusions down the road, but I'm at peace with whatever has to happen. Didn't require any supplemental stuff today. The time was spent waiting for blood counts to come back. Wasn't too bad.

One of the nurses told me today that I would require all of my "baby vaccinations" when this is all done. That's interesting, but not outside the realm of believability.

Haven't heard anything more about the patient whose son was having a hard time. I plan to get some of that info on Sunday.

See ya!

Non "Science Fiction - Double Feature"

Posting twice today as I wanted to crow a little bit. Went to clinic today and things are holding in there. White counts dipped a little bit (well within a normal level), but the platelets have nudged up a little bit. "You can't always get what you want.... but...you get what you need."-The Rolling Stones (Ain't it amazing the theology one can find in rock and roll?).

The big news is that one of the nurses told me that the amount of time it took from my transplantation to release was a record. Don't know if that's true, but I took it for the mental steroid it was intended to be.

I'm scheduled for clinic on a daily basis for the next week and I'll post after I get home from clinic visits if there is anything to share. If I don't, then there really isn't anything interesting to share...or, I may require an overnight observation at the hospital and won't have internet access until I am released. I'm spoiled with a good internet connection here at home. I am not taking my laptop back down there for the sake of the internet connection, with which my laptop does not care to graft.

Title Quotes: Richard O'Brien

In Spite Of His "Other" Song...

...John Denver had it right about the "Hey, it's good to be back home again" song. Got home yesterday afternoon somewhere before 3PM. Was a little out of sorts because I felt like I had stepped into a house that I didn't recognize because I didn't know that it could be so clean and clean smelling. I thought I did a pretty good job of keeping it tidy, but I was taken to school on what a clean house really should look like. Wow!

There was some anxiety in the evening last night as I had a bit of a yak attack. I think it came from dehydration as I didn't drink a lot of water when I first got home yesterday. Once the attack hit, and the drugs kicked in, and I got re hydrated, it settled down. Had my heart set on eating some real food for dinner last night, but that didn't happen. I did put away an oatmeal raisin cookie before I went to bed without a problem. Looking forward to breakfast this morning. I will tell the clinic folks about it today and we'll deal with it. The doctor did say yesterday that the best thing I could do for myself to continue the recovery is that I make sure to keep the fluids in me (64-80 ounces/day) and that will help fight off any infection. Here's a tip for you....same rule applies to everyone. It's cheap, preventive medicine. There are a lot worse things that you could have to ingest to fight off infections and water doesn't seem like a bad alternative.

See you around..........

It's On!

Important stuff first.....Hunter, down in Manteo NC had scans the other day and the scans showed....NOTHING! He is considered to be cancer free right now. As if there wasn't enough fun to be had in the Outer Banks.... Bo, is coming close to the end of his treatments, but with that comes the "What ifs?" It's the same thing as when I talked the other week about being in the field with blue sky surrounding you and on the horizon... Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Today, looks like release from the hospital day. The white counts continue to jump up. AS of last night's blood work, the blood work shows that the stem cells have moved back home and are starting to repaint the walls. I'm feeling good and that's what they are looking for. So...tonight, I'd should be sleeping in my own bed. Ahhhh!

Then, I'll be back to solid internet connection. When I am home, feel free to come visit. The rules of "don't apologize if you can't come visit because you aren't feeling well, or think you have been exposed to something" will still apply, but just give me a call if you think you would like to come by and we'll go from there. During the days for awhile, I'll probably be at clinic, but should be around in the evenings. My home phone: 353-4738 and the address is: 10221 Merrigan Road, Richmond VA 23235.

If you are ever in the MCV area, buy a small bag of chocolates (they love York Peppermint Patties), and deliver them the the BMTU unit on the 10th floor of the North Hospital. Tell them "Greg sent me." You'll make friends for life.

The Boys Are Back In Town

Last night's blood results showed some pretty upward dramatic movement in the white blood counts and platelets trending up. It's a sign that the stem cells are starting to graft and do their job. I look forward to the day that they get to play as hard as they are working right now. What that means for a release date is that I will wait for doctor's rounds today and to hear "You ready to get out of here in a couple of days?" I'll be patient and will not push to be released before it's the right time. Now that the stem cells are doing their job, must protect the ego.

Would Have Lost That Bet

One of the caregivers and I had a conversation yesterday about where my white counts would be last night. We were way off! I will tell you that they spiked dramatically! However, that doesn't mean I'm out of here. They need to monitor to see if the spike was chemically induced (by possibly withholding the growth factor drug for a day) or if things are starting to percolate in there. I did have to get platelets last night after setting a "personal best" for low platelet counts.

The doctor did start talking a little bit about how many more days it could possibly before release and it's still within the original time frame. When you start feeling well and numbers get bumping up, you get a little hopeful, but patience has to kick in. Otherwise, if I'm released too soon, as the doctor said, "It's a blow to the ego to be released and then have to be readmitted for observation." I'll go with that.

What's up for me after I'm released and how will I have to surrender independence? I will have folks staying with me for awhile to keep their eye on me. How long that will be, I have no idea. Should have a better idea about that somewhere in the second week after I am released. In addition, I will not be allowed to go to the grocery store or anything like that for awhile, so I will probably need people to go shopping for me. Makes me remember early in the year when I got excited about being able to go buy a mop and bucket on my own when I had been restricted from that for awhile.

Speaking of mops and buckets....there was quite the army at my house yesterday cleaning it from top to bottom. To each person I spoke to afterwards,(I'm sure they would have been doing something else yesterday..can't say I blame them), the number one thing they all spoke about was how cool it was to watch them all work together and how proud they were of what they had done.

Write this down...."Greg Frazee is SPEECHLESS with gratitude."

Back From The Dark Side Of The Moon

Whoo-weeh! Internet connection this morning! The internet connection has been pretty spotty and cantankerous down here all week, so I am taking a waking moment to get caught up.

Feeling pretty good! Blood counts are the key indicator for the moving ahead process. They have been watching them on a daily basis. There are numbers that need to be in line for me to be released including, and very importantly, the white blood counts that need to be at a specific level so I can have some resistance to infections, etc. As of last night, they have started to bump back up. Other numbers (hemoglobin, magnesium, calcium, and many other cousins) are holding their own and looking good. I should have an idea sometime Sunday late morning as far as the continued trending of the numbers and the impact on a release date.

All of that said, my energy level is very good and I walked in the hallway more today than I have since being admitted (Thanks to having plenty of Gipsy Kings tunes in my I-Pod). Energy level is a sign they are watching, also. Of course, knowing that time left in here is short, perks one up a bit. I will say it again, there are great people in here and they have done a great job with the care.

One other note, your visits are still welcome and appreciated. Feel free to contact me on my room phone (804-649-5798 )if you think you would like to come visit. If you are coming via any kind of public transportation (planes, trains, busses), they recommend that you hold off visiting until my numbers spike up a little higher. You may not be feeling bad, but you may pick up a bug from someone else that might be lingering around. Most importantly, no need to apologize if you don't come to visit I take it as you are looking out for me for that very reason.


Don't be concerned if there aren't any more posts until I am released and back to a consistent internet connection. It just means I can't get on the internet down here to post.

Then, on to more pearls!