Month: December 2018

Well, it looks like I just crossed into 6 months post-transplant. Things are fairly quiet. My EBV level continued to stay negligible. This week I travel back to Sloan for a check-up and biopsy.

Happy New Year, everyone! Here we are wishing for a much better year than last.

Today is Christmas Eve. It has been almost a year since I was first diagnosed. Last year I checked into the hospital on 28 Dec for my first chemotherapy session. It was a shock to my family and myself, but we have all persevered and here we are almost a year later, still moving forward. Not everyone has such luck. Well, certainly I would not consider it lucky to have been diagnosed with AML, but we battled through with a lot of support from many people and I am still here.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope everyone gets to take some time off and spend it with family.

By the way, how about that Army-Houston game? It was a good one to watch (for Army fans, that is).

It is now been more than 5 months since my transplant. So far things are still going well. I received several infusions of Rituxin and my EBV level has dropped back down to negligible, so no more are required. My EBV level will be monitored on a weekly basis so in case it increases again it can be addressed. Last week I met with my transplant doctor at MSK and it was fairly routine. I will have my next biopsy done in the first week of January.

I recently celebrated a birthday (I won’t say which one since it is a large number). Nothing fancy, just a low key celebration at home with the family. I have to feel thankful that I am here to celebrate it. And, just like everyone else, we are busy getting ready for the holidays. 

How about that Army-Navy game? I am looking forward to watching Army play Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl this coming weekend.

I got behind and did not post anything last week. Things have been fairly routine except for one area. Last week my  EBV level spiked up, which is a sign that a possible infection may be sneaking up on me. To avoid a possible infection I received an infusion of Rituxin, which is used to treat such situations. The current plan is to receive additional infusions once a week for three more weeks. That will be subject to how the levels change. Currently I feel fine, and these infusions are a standard approach to mitigating this type of potential infection.

This week I started my next maintenance cycle of shots. I will receive two small shots daily for the duration of the work week. I have pretty much gotten use to them, as the side effects seem nominal.

For exercise I decided to focus on indoor rowing for the next month or so. Rowing is a great conditioning exercise and engages all the major muscle groups. I have a Concept 2 rower in the basement and I find it very efficient and effective in getting a good workout. I am getting stronger, but still have a ways to go.