Wrapping Up the Year

Since things seem to have finally calmed down, I'm posting updates less frequently. That's a good thing!

We're about to wrap up 2013 & what a year it's been. One I wouldn't want to repeat but we made it though it & have hopes that 2014 will bring increased wellness for Ray. He is now almost eight months post transplant. It's hard to believe that much time has passed already.

As we continue frequent visits to the hospital so they can monitor his progress & take care of things that pop up, we watch a steady stream of new bone marrow transplant patients come in. This hospital does over 400 transplants each year. It feels strange to watch & listen to these new patients, most of which really don't have a clue what they're facing. We were once in their shoes going through the motions, listening to all the information given to us in an attempt to prepare us for what was to come. It's kind of like the difference between watching a canoe going through the rapids versus actually being in that canoe shooting the rapids yourself.

Then there are the ones who recently had their transplant & are now dealing with those never ending daily trips back to the hospital so that they can be taken care of with the oh so many things that seem to crop up. We sit & observe them all, ever grateful that phase is behind us.

Ray's biggest compliant currently is the severe dry mouth he's experiencing now. (part of the GVHD graft versus host disease) It affects his ability to taste & the lack of saliva causes everything to stick inside his mouth. There are other minor issues going on but nothing too serious that he can't deal with. He's ready to get back into the swing of things but that's gonna require baby steps for awhile yet.

Visits to the hospital are decreasing, knock on wood. All in all, Ray is doing well. Yes, there are still some issues he's dealing with but he claims that they're not a hill that a mountain climber like him can't climb...