A lot of time has passed since my transplant now: 61 days to precise. I know this because I document everything!
Really, I do. Today I started my 5th notebook since the end of June.
I start my day with a coffee and writing up the double page template which has evolved over the last few months, and continue to do so, to meet my needs. I track what I eat; my medication; how much I drink; exercise; any physical issues I'm experiencing and my goals for the day. I've gone full geek with the food bit and have codes for processed food (*), meat and eggs (underlined), fruits and vegetables (boxed) so that I can easily identify the data to put into excel and calculate if I'm meeting my 5-a-day (I am: it's 7.5), and the variety of fruits, vegetables and pulses per week (26 types). The things you learn from data! I've never eaten more healthily. But I'm farting like a dog!
But how is it to be home?
The first few days were tough. Conditions at home had to be very strict: I have my own room and bathroom which Katie spends 1-1.5 hours every evening cleaning. I have to change my sheets every two days. I have to eat all of my food in my room. All of my food has to be freshly made. I can only drink bottled or boiled water. I have to wear a mask and linen gloves outside of the room. All of this is to minimise the risk of infection.
The first days were hard because I was fully dependent on Katie, if I wanted anything to eat or drink I had to ask. I felt like a burden. I couldn't help out with anything. I could see Katie getting very stressed with the many things she needed to do and it was hard to watch her struggling.
In a short time though, I was getting more involved at home. I've been making meals, finding small ways I can help with cleaning even though I'm not allowed to do the big cleaning. I play a lot with the girls, although we get them to put a mask on too when we're really close. Last week, we kept Rosie out of kindergarten as Scarlet Fever was going around, so we spent a lot of time together. That felt good.
Exercising the body and the mind
I've been walking a lot. Although it has been a very cold winter. I've been listening to audio books on the walks. I loved My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, but was less impressed by On the Road by Jack Kerouac, though I think I would have loved it 15 years ago.
I'm also reading a little: I just finished a biography of the cycling legend Eddy Merckx, catching up on my old Granta magazines, and reading a fascinating book which my sister Lizzie gave me in the Summer, Anticancer. This book has triggered a lot of changes that I am making to my life, mostly around diet. It is written by a doctor who had cancer, he covers three main areas which have an impact on cancers: the diet, the environment and the mind. As a result I'm eating more fruit and veg than ever, eating less meat and cooking more, which I love!
Last week I started cycling again. This was the thing I'd been looking forward to most, and I don't want to linger long here because I'm going to jump on my indoor trainer soon to do a virtual ride on the Pacific Ocean Road in California :) Last week I rode 6 days, 30 minutes each time. I'm excited about getting fitter, and can't wait to be able to train harder and longer. But I need to take it easy first, which is probably my biggest challenge!
Back to work?
I won't be able to go back to the office until I'm past day 100. I'll be getting a detailed inspection around this time: blood and bone marrow. This is the time it takes for an immune system to recover, although it can take longer. I have been for one checkup, 3 weeks ago, and have another next week. I learnt little in the checkup other than I am doing fine, my white blood cells are below normal levels for a healthy person, but that's all.
I will probably return to work sooner, working remotely and part time, but I'm in no rush. I want to use this opportunity to get fitter, stronger, and use the time to learn new things. All this before adding the stress of work to my day and making it harder to do other important things.
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