6 Month Stem Cell Transplant Checkup

Big Boy 0382, originally uploaded by Buck Cash.

It's now been 6 months since my stem cell transplant, so it was time to visit Karmanos in Detroit again for a checkup.

Mom and I took a ride down on Tuesday morning and got to the Detroit area about noonish. We picked up my sister Trudy and went to lunch at Checkers because I've been craving their fries for months, and there's no Checkers or Rally's in Northern Michigan (that I've been able to find). It was delicious and really hit the spot.

After that, we went to The Henry Ford in Dearborn to see the new Star Trek movie in 3D at the spectacular IMAX theater there, and it was AWESOME!!!! WOW!!!

After that, we took Trudy back to where she's staying temporarily and rolled on out to Ann Arbor, where we met with my aunt Aggie for dinner at Big Boy's, where I got the photo above.

Then we all went back to Aggies to rest for the night. Late the next morning, Aggie and I went to Coney Island for lunch, and then mom and I drove to Karmanos in Detroit for my appointment.

I had a little altercation with a lady who wanted me to take my shoes off to measure my height, saying they always do it that way, and I said, "no you don't - not in the 12 years I've been dealing with this." She wanted to have an argument with me about it, and by the time I sat down to get my blood drawn, my blood pressure was elevated, prompting the nurse, and later the doctor to remark about it.

Anyway, the exam itself went just dandy. Things are going really well, and I got my first 5 immunization shots. I'll get 5 more every 2 months in Petoskey, and then 6 months from now I'll go back to Karmanos for another 6 month checkup, where I'll get my last 5 to complete the re-immunization process, just like a kid goes through.

The doctor had me stop taking the Acyclovir until I see my doctor again on the 12th and get blood work, saying that something's elevated (to do with my liver?) and it could be the Acyclovir causing it. If it's back to normal when I see the doc on the 12th, I'll start back up on it, but at half the dosage I was on up till now.

That was about it. We left Karmanos and headed North up I-75, stopped off somewhere along the way for dinner at a Cracker Barrel where I had a terrific pork chop dinner, and got home just as it was getting dark.

So, everything's progressing well here!