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Brien Lee > Blog > BMT > My Bone Marrow Transplant: Finale, for Now

My Bone Marrow Transplant: Finale, for Now

Where I return to old routines thanks to new medical progress.

@connie3077 via Twenty20

Fifteen months ago I sat in my oncologist’s office as he explained to me what myelofibrosis was and the fact that I had it. I could look forward to a shortened lifetime of monitoring and blood transfusions, or consider a bone marrow transplant, wherein my immune system would be nullified, a volunteer’s blood and stem cell mixture would be introduced into my bone marrow, and they would fight it out for dominance. I met with the recommended specialist, and The doctors offering this path indicated that their track record was good, and the chances for success were excellent.

If you’ve been reading this series about my hospitalization eight months ago and my path to recovery, you know the ride was bumpy, but there was always a solution around the corner.

Last entry I described the feeling of returning to “normal” life, living in my own residence, and returning to interests, hobbies, and streaming platforms I had pretty much missed the prior eight months.

This week in the meeting with my doctor (one meeting a week now instead of two), my numbers proved to be stable or had jumped up yet again. It was apparent that I would no longer need transfusions. The result was they removed the “pic-line” — the blood tube device that had been in my arm since my first week in the hospital for blood transfusions. This thing required a lot of home maintenance and cleaning and would pop out of its sleeve and just dangle there when I slept. Good Riddance.

If I don’t need blood next week, my visits will be reduced to once every second week.

So I’m listening to internet radio, driving my car to the food store, writing about my past career, and, at least for now, wrapping up these reports until the next breakthrough. That may be a while, but a period of good normal routine is looking mighty good.

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