4th Week!

Already four weeks! I must say I feel more "alive".  People who have seen me before and see me again say I look better, and I feel better too!

I had an appointment with the onco-hematologist and he said it takes a year for the immune system to recover.  He also said the prophylactic medications are one year long after HSCT in Chile unlike in Germany where you have to take them during six months.  The amount of medications I take have increased...

I keep doing rehabilitation with my PT three times a week and do it twice a week with the assistant nurse.

I know the road is very long, but I'm hopeful... 

Yesterday I could even attend to Gabriel's B-Day that was beautifully and fully organized by the mothers of my son's kindergarten class.  I was touched by their generosity and their friendship...          

You see...? I'm still surrounded by blessings.

3rd Week

The rehabilitation process is very long, and I experience fatigue and nausea that don't help at all.  I have to be patient... even more patient.  

Days go by between physiotherapy, bathroom, medicines, food, cream... My whole body is peeling and even the palms of my hands!!! but the exantema is finally gone... Now the itchiness comes from the skin peeling.. Phew!

A promising future is on sight and there is where I go, slowly but surely.

I haven't been out, except for doctors and exams, but today my mom took me on an hour drive tour and It was very nice.

The mothers of Gabriel's kindergarten class are organising his birthday for next Saturday, because his real b-day is in January and people are on Summer vacations.  One of them is going to bring the b-day cake, another the piñata, candies, gifts for the kids, small chairs and tables, and so on... I want to publicly thank Joyce Berman for being so sweet, concerned, philantropist, and mainly a good friend.

As you can see, I'm surrounded by blessings.

Take care

2nd Week

One of the blood tests was positive.  It turned out that one of the opportunistic infections appeared and, though it's asymptomatic, I have a cytomegalovirus.  The infectologist told me that I shoud take Valganciclovir for a month, and that I should start immediately with it.  Nobody transmitted this virus to me.  It's a virus that many people have dormant in the body, but after transplants occasionally is activated. I'll have blood tests every week to check how is everything going on.

I started rehabilitation with my physiotherapist, following the physiatrist instructions, and though I feel extremely fatigued when I use the right side of the body (my weak side) I do my best to do all the exercises.  

My neurologist prescribed a sleeping pill, so I'm finally sleeping five hours plus a short nap in the afternoon!

Many friends have visited me and whenever I need to go to the doctor, some close friends take me to them... Also on the first days, I was never alone, because there was always a friend with me.  The Jewish Community of Chile hired a nursing assistant to be with me from 9 to 18 hrs, Mondays through Saturdays.  I try to do everything by myself, but she helps me a lot with: the medicines, food (I also take Ensure daily), stretching and exercises, putting cream for the exantema (that thank God is each day less itchy), and so on...

It's going to be a very slow recovery, but that's the way it is expected.

Meanwhile, I enjoy being with my son, my mom and my friends.

Take care.