Eighty-Seventh Day of New Blood

The stab in the hip went well. Although while performing the operation, in my anxiousness, tight grip on the bed frame and heavy sweating, I swear the doctor gave out some evil laughs. Not so much as evil, but 'you're not going anywhere' laughs. It was painful, but nothing a few slow, deep breaths couldn't solve, if I wasn't to pass out. The worst part is right when he sticks the fairly large biopsy needle and has to put lots of pressure on it to get through the bone. Because of the pain I couldn't really tell if it made noise, or just the quivering inside my bones that made the sound that vibrates through your body. Anyway, hopefully that will be my last bone marrow biopsy, and all that I am left with is a small scab where the needle went in, oh and of course the centimeter of hip that is now in a test tube somewhere, but that hole will fill in in a little over a month.

I should have my results by Wednesday when I head back to the Bone Marrow Clinic. Apparently we could be looking at line removal. My central catheter has been attached to me since January. It has been a long time. I was told that the procedure is something to the effect of a lawn mower being started without the recoil, I guess that would be the burning sensation afterward. First I am given local anesthetic where the anchor is located, just below the collar bone. They need to make an incision here because essentially my skin will have grown around this anchor. Once they have the anchor detached the tube will be in two pieces. The one inside me (leading to a main artery) will be pulled, fast to minimize bleeding, the other should just slip out. All I should be left with are a couple of stitches, and maybe a little tenderness, but I am planning on it not being quite as bad as when it was put in.

So the weather in Calgary has been a little depressing, not that it is depressing me, but rain... It has been raining a lot here and it has prevented me from getting outside and doing my physical activities as much as I would like and should. So I am getting fat. I swear my breasts have enlarged a bit, and since I have been able to job slightly, they are more sensitive to the bouncing movement. To much information I know, but that's a warning to stay active and not have extra baggage, or to wear a sports bra.Since my hair is growing everywhere again I am also experiencing itchiness, and is that annoying as well, but soon I'll just be hairy again and itchiness will stop?

From my last doctor visit the stats hadn't changed much, but my hemoglobin was down still at 122 (137 normal) and platelets had dropped slightly to 57. I guess white blood cells went down too, but they remain in normal range: 6.2. With these results, it should tell if anything is happening that shouldn't, but these dips seem to be normal while engraftment takes place. So we will see Wednesday.

Justin:)