Eight months Plus

Well, I am finally getting back to posting here. It has been 4 weeks, but that was how long I went between Dr appointments. Similarly, my next is scheduled out 4 more weeks. I had the BMT on May 8 & 9 so it has been 8 months now. The report today indicates that my blood is essentially 100% that of my brother who was the donor. Praise the Lord!

My hemoglobin also came in at 17.0, a new high and actually higher than my son had when he last gave blood. Unfortunately, my platelet count is still low at 73 and I still bruise easily. Additional blood clotting tests were run today to see my original clotting problems remain and whether I need treatment. I am still taking Lovenox shots to thin my blood, but that may be keeping my platelet count low. I would like to get back on coumadin or, better yet, not have to take anything.

My white cell count was a little high at 9.9, but then I have been nursing a sinus infection for almost 3 weeks. I have a few minor dizzy episodes which the Dr thinks was from the sinuses and my left ear which looked inflamed. I am now on 5 days of Azithromycin antibiotic, replacing the Levaquin that I normally take.

Since the BMT seems to have been successful, we are starting a taper of the prednisone over the next 2 months. I have been on 20 mg every day for the last month and will taper off 5 mg on alternating days every week. So this next week, I am taking 20 one day and 15 the next. Eventually, I should get down to 5 mg a day and then off completely. But then, it all depends on how things go. Looks promising though many BMT patients go through many cycles of less and then more prednisone. Some can never get off it completely. This is only my second attempt to get off the stuff, but then I am still taking 8 other medications as well.