"What's new? Probably I'm boring you" Frank Sinatra

Another clinic day. Labs remain unchanged. Mild anemia, slightly low lymphocytes, and nothing else to report. Dr Forman says I look like a teenager with my pimply rash, but I think it's better and I am not about to use any OTC acne gels. I have almost teenage blood, why not teenage skin.  Gut is good, but I still need a nap most days and I do tire easily. And I have more and more peach fuzz on my scalp.

Dr. Forman also says I am over reading the significance of my dry mouth. He does not think it is mild GVH.  Wrong timing. At least I am over reading my symptoms in a positive direction for a change.

Next Monday I get the BIG tests in addition to the standard happily boring lab. They will look for CLL in my blood and measure my degree of engraftment again. I should have the results next Thursday. This is the critical stuff that shows how much of my blood lines are old me and how much are from my donor.  I am confident of and slightly less neurotic than last time about the expected good news. A positive trend is the heart of the matter. It's  both the journey and the destination.

Soon I will be down to clinic visits once a week. Because my engraftment is so darn slow, my GVH may pop up later, so I may need to return again to more frequent monitoring. Next week's test will be a factor in those decisions.

Been learning from Dr Wendy Harpham's book "Happiness in a Storm". I highly recommend it. Very practical  helpful counsel on how to be a Healthy Survivor (not the TV type survivor, but the real life hero of a catastrophic illness).  

Watch Hotel Rwanda from Netflix.  A very fine movie. A tough inspirational movie against a hellish backdrop. It asks what really counts in life?  It asks the viewers what they would do with their life or their family's life on the line?