February 11, 2017

A shorter update, today (I think).

The good: I finally managed to sit still long enough to watch not just one, but two entire movies from beginning to end (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Iron Man” – catching up on my Marvel superheroes). I also napped more than usual, and enjoyed another quiet-time-together visit from Tricia in the afternoon. White blood cells finally got down into the teens, which is their target. Woo-hoo!

The okay: We had a minor setback in blood numbers since yesterday. My platelets dropped back below fifty, which means I again lost my neti pot and teeth-flossing privileges (boo!). Hemoglobin also dropped below seven; that meant I got another blood transfusion to bring them back up. That low reading may also be part of why I was more tired than usual.

The big learnings: contrary to what I thought until yesterday, it’s actually okay if I still need the occasional transfusion even after I am discharged from the hospital. Even though today’s transfusion felt a bit like a setback, it turns out that it probably won’t affect my timeline for going home. Monday or Tuesday is still the plan, and that is very, very soon. 🙂

I remain amazed at the power and love that is humanity reaching out to offer support in so many—often unexpected—ways.

Hugs to all,

-Markus

This post originally published on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markus.silpala/posts/10212172431452727

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