Day +30

The past month has seemed like a time warp. One moment the time seems to have flown by; yet the next moment, it feels like a lifetime....

Eric continues to do very well. He still makes a daily trip to the BMT daycare unit for bloodwork, prophylactic antibiotics and hydration. They continue to adjust his meds and usually that means fewer pills to take - yeah!!! His blood counts are rising although all are still below normal. They expect his blood counts to be up and down for sometime as the donor cells become comfortable in his body and his body adjusts to the new cells.

Although he has to avoid large crowds where the chance of meeting sick people increases, Eric is allowed to go out while taking sensible precautions. He's been out with friends, out for walks, trips to the mall during off peak hours. He is allowed to eat out as long as he makes careful choices. He avoids deli meats (don't we all right now following the extensive recall?!), raw eggs, blue cheese -- anything that may harbour nasty bacterias or fungi. Raw fruits and vegetables are carefully prepared, cooked or avoided. Meats are well done - no medium rare steak for a little while.

So what's next? Over the coming months, we continue the hyper-vigilence around Eric's general health. The BMT team has told him that most Allo transplant patients have another hospital stay at some point - usually an infection that the baby immune system is unable to handle. He'll continue to take his temperature twice a day and be on the lookout for any changes that might signal the start of an infection. He also watches carefully for any skin changes/rashes or diarrhea that could be a sign of GVHD (graft vs host disease). His first chimerism test (to assess the percentage of donor cells in his body) will be at day +60.

Still some hurdles ahead, but Day +30 looks like a mighty fine day!