BMT +35 and all is well.

March 15, 2005

I am happy to say that things are still relatively boring as far as

my continued recovery is concerned. My counts are rising and are

right on schedule.

There was a bump in the road when Bactrum was added to my meds to

prevent PCP pneumonia. The drug, as expected, caused my counts to

drop a little. When they dropped towards the checkpoint level, the

drug was stopped and replaced with an IV drug that does the same

thing. The counts returned to their normal climb.

The only IV fluid I am getting in the outpatient clinic is

Magnesium. The oral anit-rejection drug, Tacrolimus, depletes the

body of magnesium. In addition to the IV supplement, I take 8 400mg

magnesuim tablets a day. The combo keeps me on the low end of the

normal scale.

The other bump has been neuropathy in the lower legs and feet.

Physical therapy has been very helpful here. The therapist puts

little diodes on my feet and hooks me up to a machine that sends

minute electrical impulses into my feet for 30 minutes. I don't

feel this at all, but it really seems to help. IWe also do

exercises that work the affected muscles. It all seems to work, and

I am most impressed with the PT department at MDACC. If this is the

worst hardship I have to face in the remaining 65 days as an

outpatient, I'll be doing great.

I've been missing my kids quite a bit, but my son came down last

weekend, and my daughter is coming down and will be spending part of

her Spring Break with us here in Houston. I'm really looking

forward to that.

Nothing much else to report. As my " team " says, I am the most

boring patient they have, and I intend to stay that way!

I still wear a mask whenever in crowded places and always in the

hospital when outside my room. It has been suggested to me that

this is no longer necessary because my counts have climbed out of

the danger zone, but there are so many people coughing and sneezing

in the building...I don't want the take the chance complicating

matters just because someone sneezed in the elevator!

Regards and Prayers

DT

PS. Amy...thanks for the invite to join your new list!

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