T-Day (+ 1)

Well, folks, I'm the proud owner of a brand spankin' new immune system. It's new to me, anyway. It's been tried and proven effective over a 49-yr trial period with a man. (Men are dirtier than women, so you know that's a legitimate test.) He's never had any health problems, so I am looking forward to experiencing the benefits of this excellent immune system.

Some of you may be wondering how this whole "transplant" thing works. When I first heard about the ominous transplant , I thought I would be sliced in half lengthwise to have my bone marrow scooped out, and then be smushed back together again after squirting the new bone marrow in. I envisioned the bone marrow having the consistency of peanut butter. In a word, No. I was waaaaay off base. It's actually very anticlimactic, although I felt more emotional about the whole thing yesterday than I expected I would.

My friend Jon was here to witness it, although I don't think those were his intentions when he chose yesterday to visit. My mom, of course, was here, too. We were all crowded around my little tube, watching the cells move around. I was pretty amazed at the ease of the procedure. Literally, I lay there with a bag of pinkish/yellowish cells hanging at my side, waiting for them to make their way through the tube and into my body. There was no funny sensation once they entered, and I don't feel any different today than I did yesterday. But I am different. I have a new set of cells inside me that will soon make up an immune system that will protect me from illness in ways mine couldn't. (That's the part where I got emotional. I'm just so looking forward to putting cancer behind me.) I'm also a B+ blood type now, instead of an A+ (no big deal).

To celebrate my rebirthday, as they call it, the nurses surprised me with a cake and some candy. Unfortunately, I still can't keep food down, so we put the cake in the freezer to enjoy it another time. It was a nice gesture. So, now you all know, my official rebirthday is January 19th, 2010, at approximately 9:45 pm. I excpect cakes and presents from here on out.

After the procedure was finished, Jon and I played Go Fish, but pretended we were members of the Russian mafia. "You don't 'chave a seben forr me??" "No, I don't 'chave the sebens. GO to the fishes." You know, like, go to the mattresses, from The Godfather? Go to the fishes?

Anyway.

Today was pretty uneventful. I was really tired, so I slept most of the day. In the evening, my friend Florencia came and we went on a little walking adventure to find a vending machine. Then, while I got an infusion of platelets (my level was 12, when it should be at least 50) we played Uno, a game which I have not played since I was a little kid. It's a fun game! I think I will add this Uno to my game repertoire for future use.

I'm sitting here now contemplating going to sleep, while getting a couple units of red blood cells. When your red blood cells get low, you can get very lethargic (which is probably why I was so tired earlier today).

Oh - big news. I ate a whole 2 saltine crackers and haven't puked them up yet. Here's hoping for less puking in the coming days!

Oh, AND, a few posts ago, I credited my friend Mari with sending me this wonderful box full of books and games and puzzles. Turns out it was a group effort, organized by Mari, but with contributions from MANY of my friends at Yale and a couple from DC. You all know who you are - thank you.

Also, I realize many of you are sending me emails, and I do appreciate them very much. Please understand, though, that it might take me a while to get back to you because I have to work on blogging and email replying at times when I'm feeling well enough to do either (which isn't particularly predictable). Just know that I love getting your emails, and please do not be offended if it takes me forever to reply.