Goodbye, hospital

We said goodbye to the hospital on Saturday night, with an ANC 0f 8880 and high spirits. I am relieved to be home, anxious about our next chapter, and ever so thankful that we have made it to this place.

I walked away from Room 11 wishing that I might never see the inside of a hospital room again. I am not likely to get my wish on that -- most transplant patients end up hospitalized again during these first few months out, so it's probably wiser to hope that when we do go in, it will be short and uneventful.



So far so good, though. Samson is continuing to have some stomach upset and come-and-go rashes due to GVHD, but nothing anti-nausea medications and benadryl can't handle. Tomorrow we begin our outpatient routine with a clinic visit, where we will see Dr. Nemecek, get blood counts, transfuse if needed, and adjust medication levels. I'll admit I'm a little worried something will be awry and they won't let us walk out. Aaron's sister is here to help us this week, and she is going to the appointment with me, so surely she would help us bust out if needed. I will call if we need reinforcements. . . .

I am not done writing, because this story is, unfortunately, not over. But my hope is that as the summer goes on, this will be so drama-free and uneventful, so dull really, that no one will still be reading.