Good news??? This one is cancer-related.

OK. I don't want to spoil y'all by giving you three blogs in a week...but when I get news I feel I need to share...I need to share it!

I went to the clinic today as usual. Appointment was for 12:15 as usual, but as usual we got there around 11:45. I was called back for blood work, as usual. But one thing today was different. Because yesterday was a holiday, a lot of us got today off. So, today...EVERYONE was there for an appointment. So, after the blood was drawn for the blood work, instead of just going back into the back to find a chair...there were none. All were full. So, back to the waiting room until one opened up. It wasn't long before one did, and so after they had everything cleaned up, back we went to get hooked up to the IV for fluids as usual. It usually, (I know I keep using the word usual a lot, but my life's been pretty mundane lately, so that's the way it is), takes about twenty to thirty minutes until the blood work results come back...today was no different. But when I get the results normally, just one of the nurse techs brings us a copy and there's no fan fair. Today, my results were brought over by our mid-level nurse practitioners Susan, (these are the nurses who are the gatekeepers to the doctors and ultimately, with the doctor's approval of course, decide your course of treatment), which as I said is unusual. She plopped the results down in my lap and said, Well, your labs look great. So, I'm cutting you off fluids". Which if this were the only news of the day, I would be ecstatic because I hate sitting there for four hours of my day, only to get a 1000ml bag of saline injected into me. But, she didn't stop there. She then said, " So, we'll see you on Monday". And I looked surprised...and happy of course!! Then she said, "Monday we'll check your labs again of course. And since you're not gonna be getting fluids anymore we'll go ahead and pull out that PICC line, (which is the line in my arm with three lumens coming out of it. Which is similar to the catheter I once had. It's used to infuse fluids, draw blood, etc. Refer to previous blogs if you're confused), And we might be able to cut you loose in a couple of weeks". Now if you'll do the math with me, I was told that after the transplant I would have to be at the clinic every day for fifty days. Today is day twenty-six after the transplant. Day fifty would be July 29th. Now, if like Susan said, they "cut me loose" in "a couple of weeks"...that would be two weeks before they were supposed to. Now, this does not mean my life immediately will return back to normal. I probably will not be able to return back to work until the already set date of August 15th. But, many of the restrictions that are in place will be lifted. I still don't have all the details. She did say that some of this may change, depending on what my labs say from time to time. And I don't know if I'll now be going once a week, or twice or three times a week...all of this will be worked out as we go. A few things I do know, however. All of the things that were set for the 100 day mark will stay the same. The most important of these is, that will be when we'll repeat the bone marrow biopsy and PET scan to see if this damn thing worked. If, as we all know it did, this damn thing did work, I will then permanently be released from the clinic and return back to my normal oncologist for follow up treatment and to keep checking on things. Just to reiterate, I will not be out of work or out of commission until the 100 day mark. That's just another bench mark for us to look forward to.

Now, as you all know, throughout all of this, I haven't been one to follow convention or the usual course of things. So, I really thought seriously of not sending this out for fear of jinxing it. But, I really do feel good and the numbers don't lie. Now I still have a little trepidation as we go forward, knowing how this whole process has gone for me. But I am really excited, because this is really good news, as I'm sure you'll agree. Sorry again for so many updates in so few days. Also, sorry this was a long one...but I had a lot to tell y'all!! I do look incredibly forward to returning to a normal life and spending time with all of you again!! Love y'all!!