Day +4

Today is day +4 of my third transplant. So far things have been going alot differently than the first 2 which we are taking as a good sign! First of all, the day after the transplant my white cells went up to .3 which is the highest they've been since April! They are on a decline now which is what they should do before they start to go up again, but that tells me that at least these cells are alive! Another difference is the immense pain! From my hip bones to my feet it feels like someone dumped acid into my bones (I guess that's not to far from the truth though, right?) They have been trying to manage my pain but nothing they gives me takes it away. It makes the pain tolerable for about an hour, but then it shoots back up again. They now have me on a pain pump where I can push a button every 15 min and get a dose of Dilaudid (which is about 6 times stronger than Morphine) So at least now I don't have to wait for a nurse to get me meds! The other hard part about this time is the extreme fatigue! To illustrate my point my mom say's that I have to share my brownie story with everyone. At about this same time of my second transplant my mom was staying at the hospital with me. She had made some of my favorite homemade caramel brownies! I was reclined in bed watching TV when she asked if I would like one. I said of course I would love one! So she brings it over to me and I take my first bite. I began to chew when suddenly my head falls back and I'm asleep! My mom woke me up and asked if I wanted to finish my brownie. I said I did and took another bite. When I started to chew...waaam...I was asleep again! Well this went on about 5 times before she finally decided she would slide it out of my hand so I could sleep without making a mess! Just as she touched the brownie my eye's flew open and I grabbed her hand yelling "I'm not done! I promise I won't fall asleep again!!" I was then able to finish the brownie and have a good long nap :)
The best news I have gotten today was from my doctor. Throughout this whole process he has never given me a compliment, only warnings to not get an infection! Today he was telling me that there will be a new doctor rounding for the next few weeks and that he would be sure to brief him on my situation and let him know that especially after all that I have been through I am doing extremely well! ya!! That meant alot coming from him!