Always thankful for a good week.

Hello everyone. I hope you are all doing well and getting through these dark days of January. January has always been my least favorite month because it was always dark when I went to work and dark when I left work to make the drive across 520 back home. And, because I worked in the cath lab, I would often go all day without seeing outside - you know, no windows and all. In addition, it's 31 days long, where I've always thought it should be a 21 day month. Except for the bowl games and my mom's birthday, I've never really enjoyed January. This year though, I really can't complain. I'm feeling good, I'm way ahead of schedule (so they tell me), and I'm on Phase III (I guess I'm considering Phase IV the 3 month to 12 month recovery) of the stem-cell adventure. So, as much as I've whined about January in the past, you won't hear me bemoaning and bad-mouthing this long, dark, depressing, post-holiday month anymore. There, those are my last four disparaging remarks about January in Seattle.

I've had a good first week out of the hospital, so I'll give an update on my 'freedom-week' from room 8260 at the UW Hosp.

I have to say, I'm very thankful for football. I love the bowl games and the NFL playoffs, so that has been very nice to have on TV almost nightly. I'm also getting out a lot each day. I find that my only real issue is that I get tired easily, but if I just chill for an hour or so, I get another wind and am ready to go. I don't nap during the day, just haven't felt the need to, so I sleep well at night. Sometimes with a little help from a sleeping pill, but I blame that on the darn Prednisone. I start tapering the Prednisone tomorrow! I can't stand Prednisone and I feel a lot of my muscle weakness (and sleep stuff) is related to that, so I want it GONE. It'll take two weeks to get off it fully, but it all starts tomorrow.

My 'counts' are good. Platelets are well past 100,000 and going up. Red blood cell count is excellent. Postassium levels are staying up, so I should get to stop the supplements this week. My white blood cell count is over 6,000, which is normal. Of course, the deal with the WBCs are that it will take me 9 months to 1 year to fully develop the important subsets called T-cells and B-cells. These are pretty much non-existent until between 3 and 6 months, then they'll start increasing throughout the rest of the year. This is why I'm not fully protected until a full year. But, the neutrophils (initial responders) are doing great at 5,500 (normal range). So, I am very encouraged by this and hope it just all keeps on growing.

There are two 'bugs' they watch very closely, cytomeglovirus (CMV) and epstein barr virus (EBV). I'll let you google them if you want, but they are bugs that most ordinary people carry, but often don't have problems with because your immune system keeps them in check. But, if you are immunosuppressed, they can do you in. One little issue that came up was I tested positive for EBV before leaving the hospital last week. This is a bad one to get, so they watch it really closely. If you test positive, they consider you 're-activated,' and if you get to a certain level of virus, they begin treatment. I didn't want to deal with this, as the treatment is a drug called Rituxan, and it has a lot of side-effects, so no thanks. Well, the cool thing is that I got tested Tues this week, and I was "non-reactive." So, for now my immune system has rocked the EBV with a body blow, so hopefully it'll stay suppressed.

Another thing is that I would like my central venous catheter line OUT. They don't want to take it out until between 30 and 60 days in case there is a need for IV antibiotics and also for all the blood draws - they feel bad poking people with needles I guess. Needles don't really bother me, so I told them not to keep it in just for my blood draws. Yet, I'm only Day +20, so maybe in a week or two they'll get it out. I want to start hitting some golf balls, but I can't do that with a catheter tunneled from my chest though the jugular vein and into the right atrium of my heart - not super safe I guess. I tried to tell the doctor that if I'm going to have any hope of competing with Bronson and Kirch at the annual Guys Golf Weekend this spring, I gotta get going on hitting some balls at the range. In addition, the line is just a real pain because you have to wrap it each day for showering, wipe it down afterward, take Coumadin (blood thinner) to keep clots out of the catheter, and flush it everyday with saline and heparin. It was cool when I got it because, as Jack would say, I kinda looked like a cyborg, but the cybor-ness has worn off. I feel more hindered than cool these days. Oh well, hopefully soon.

I have had a good week though. Tuesday I went to Sherlock Holmes and ate popcorn with my mom. It was at a real theatre even. We did the matinee and sat way far away from any of the other 14 people who were there. Yesterday, I went on a walk at Green Lake with Casey, had pizza, picked up Owen at school, needed to rest for about an hour, then picked Jack up at school, and then they took me home. Pretty great day. Tomorrow is movie night with Casey. She's going to come over and we're going to watch The Hangover. Saturday night is a sleepover with my brother Paul. Sunday night is a sleepover with Jack. And, then, Owen and I are planning a sleepover for next week too. My brother Ryan brought me an exercise bike. Very nice of him to do that, so we'll see when I can get my legs going on that. I really feel like I've lost so much muscle that I'm going to have a long spring getting back to baseline on the bike. I blame it on the Prednisone, but I suppose chemo had something to do with it too.

I'm kind of excited for the kids and Casey because they are going to Los Angeles for the MLK Jr. holiday weekend (actually Sat through Wed). They've been so great and it'll be a nice break for them. They will visit relatives (Cousin Keri and family) and maybe see Casey's college roomate. Maybe even get a day at Legoland. I'm looking forward to them getting to do something fun, as they've earned it! Plus, it never hurts to feel a little warm sunshine on your face this time of year.

Thanks again to all of you who have helped Casey with the boys and given her breaks occassionally. She's really felt supported by so many people and thankful for all the offers of playdates and kid-sitting so she can get errands done, do shopping, finish some of her schoolwork, or even just put her feet up at Tully's. I'll keep saying it because I don't think we can say it enough, THANK YOU!! I don't want to say that I hope we can return the favor someday, but believe me, if needed, we'll be there for you.

Enjoy the BCS Championship game tonight. I'm thinking Alabama's got this one in the bag. Talk to you all soon. Mike