Bargain Basement

Today is day six after the transplant. I’ve moved all my stuff into the basement. If I have the standard recovery. I’ll be coming up out of the basement on day sixteen. I’ve had some perilous stomach cramps and I’m feeling pretty damn weak. After the basement portion of this ride, if all goes well, I move into engraftment, when those courageous little stem cells find their way to my bone marrow, and I’ll be moving into recovery.

There’s a lot of talk about the basement period but nothing definitive. I’ve been told that my reaction and the amount of time I’m going to feel crappy is contingent upon my physiology. No two basements are the same. The new Dr. making the rounds, Dr. Nooka says that the discomfort I am going through is pretty typical.

On a lighter note, I may have been envisioning this period worse than it’s turning out to be. The nurses are able to give me relief for most of the symptoms. I got a new sleep med added to the arsenal. It’s called Rozerem and it’s like melatonin with an attitude. I take that and an Ativan right before bed, which seems to be working.

As long as I’m distracting myself I’m okay. My sister sent me a sketchbook and some beautiful gel pens. Other highlights of my day are counting the helicopters, harassing the nursing staff and complaining. I have every intention to work on my screenplay. During my MBA I had an unconventional professor who talked a lot about task avoidance. My screenplay is a task I’ve been avoiding. In successful screenplays there’s always a B story. I’ve been struggling with the B story a bit but I think I’m on to something.

I appreciate all the great comments I’ve been getting on thewilworld. I initially thought about doing a video blog but that really isn’t me. I’m enjoying the writing. Please tell your friends about it.