I get by with a little help from my friends

Duck, Duck ... Happy Friday everyone! This week has been really good.  Jackie is consistently feeling better each day and we try to get out and do different things to keep our days somewhat busy.  Apparently, if you get up and going early in the morning, no one else seems to be at malls, parks and other areas.  Although we are getting out, we have been able to avoid people as much as possible, I'm not sure if you are aware, but people are the worst!   Having said that, some people are simply delightful and we have had the opportunity to visit and be visited by friends as well.  I'm sure you can imagine how great that is.  Jackie has been getting plenty of exercise doing laps (well maybe lap) of different malls, getting out to Bowness park (If you have never been, I suggest you should) and even got out to see a few innings of a U18 baseball game.  The game was probably Jackie's highlight.  She loved the park but didn't care too much for the ge...

  Is It Hot Enough For Ya? It's 32 degrees outside, you're on the top floor of a 53 year old building with no air conditioning, you are at a place where there is no shortage of old folks wanting to chat, you know someone is gonna ask, "is it hot enough for ya?". Your internal dialogue goes something like, "no sir, I would like it better if my skin would instantly combust in the sun" or "actually, I would like to cook eggs on the hood of my black truck just a bit faster". But no, you muster a chuckle an respond with something like, "yeah, it's a scorcher". You're not gonna hear me complain though, in two months we're all gonna be saying, "where did the summer go?" as it starts to cool off.  As Jackie and I had this very conversation, we realized that it was the tail end of winter and beginning of spring when we got here and it's going to be the end of summer/early fall before we leave.  Were we here that long or i...

Steroids and Ice Cream Hi there and welcome back. It is DAY 68 and I am sure you are all wondering how I am coping with my new roommate. Thank you for your concern.  Well, I'm not gonna lie, as far as a roommate goes, she's a bit needy.  I need this and I need that, it's hot in here, it cold in here, is it time for my ice cream yet? Let's go to a bakery, but I can't eat that. You eat it and tell me if it is good.  Are you writing a post about me, what are you typing? It goes on and on.  So, that should answer your next question, yes, every day she seems to be getting closer to normal. This past week has definitely been a positive one.  Even though we are not at home, we are one step closer to some degree of normality.  Jackie is doing good and every day we try to get out for a walk and/or a drive.  She still has a ways to go to get off certain meds, but each day she makes progress.  Because of the GVHD she experienced, she is still on steroids, Cy...

Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Ice Cream   What a day.  Despite putting it out there in the universe, Jackie was discharged from the hospital this afternoon.  First of all, YAY!!  Secondly, my mind keeps returning to an image from probably many movies.  You know,  all you see is a dusty road, a huge brick wall with a normal sized door (sometimes the door is also ridiculously big) and someone outside waiting for their loved one to be released from jail.  Yup, you know the one.  Well just like Joliet Jake or Danny Ocean, it feels like my gal got sprung today. It has been a long road to get to this point. It was a road full of bumps, ups and downs, hairpin turns, loose gravel and absolutely no shoulders.  But we white knuckled it. There were a few stretches where we lost control and many sections where it felt like we were stuck spinning our tires. I'm sure we even had to walk a good portion, but we did.  Jackie did.   Typically, m...

Hello everyone! Happy belated Canada Day! Its been awhile since we have updated you.  The radio silence is due to the fact that I am on track to be discharged on Monday July 4th.  Mike is cautious about saying anything because the last time it looked like I was going to be discharged, we had a pretty significant setback and I ended back on the majority of IV treatments, including a food supplement called TPN.  Currently everything has stabilized and I am absorbing my meds appropriately.  The Graft verses Host (GVH) in my GI track seems to have stabilized as well as my blood counts, although they run on the low side so transfusions are still a possibility.   Once discharged, I need to stay in Calgary for at least 100 days post transplant so we have an apartment next to the hospital.  Hoping my remaining time will be uneventful so we head home in August.  My biggest concern right now with discharge - I won't be able to live in my comfy PJs all day long. ...