Day +35, Tuesday

A few things of note happened today. I ended my course of Mycophenolate, one of my anti-organ rejection medications, I had a “well check” visit with my primary doctor in Asheville, and Mom and I braved Michaels.

I began taking Mycophenolate shortly after Transplant, and as far as I can tell – it has worked well. I mean, I definitely tick some of the side-effect boxes – fatigue, UTI’s, bladder pain, achy joints, etc – then again, I did just have a Stem Cell Transplant, so I would expect those anyway. But it’s nice to have one less medication to take and manage.

My Telehealth visit went well; given all that I’ve been through, this was downright easy. Dr. C’s reaction to me removing my hat was hilarious. It was the sound that someone makes when they’ve gotten a really bad surprise or gift, and exclaimed, “Oooh!” which we’ve all heard before. We both laughed, though, and then I put my hat back on. There’s really nothing for her to do, at this point. Everything is managed through the NIH. In the future, though, when I’m further out from Transplant (as in a few years, likely), she’ll play a bigger role in my care.

And Michael’s. Where to begin? It’s brave to venture into this store at any time, let alone during the holidays while there is a Global Pandemic in play. Thankfully, Mom and I found a tree, and then spent a few minutes perusing the store isles. I picked up a gingerbread house – haven’t decorated one of these in years, but it seemed like a fun thing to do. And then we went to check-out.

The line wrapped around the store, and Mom and I waited. And waited. And waited. At some point, the person behind us kept encroaching within our 6-foot space. And it’s a sign of how tired, and somewhat paranoid that I am (because I would NEVER, under normal circumstances tell a complete stranger to back up), but that’s exactly what I did. Everyone was masked, but I’m just trying to be cautious. After 5 minutes, she was inching forward more, so Mom acted as a shield and I just stood in my own space ahead of the cart. I was grateful for Mom. Check-out was good – we ended up getting our tree, with some help from the sales associates, and a deep discount as well. They said that if the tree doesn’t work, to just bring it back in exchange for another. I’m not sure about Mom, but it’s safe to say I have zero desire to step into Michael’s anytime soon.

The drive back to our apartment was uneventful. I made a beeline for my room to rest and woke up 2.5 hours later, just in time for buttered pasta with Parmesan cheese and a Zoom date with Lucy and Andy. We are trying to hatch a plan to get Dad on Zoom, but for now, Michael’s was enough of a challenge.

Tomorrow, I’m hoping for a walk and to put up the tree! And if I’m feeling extra peppy, maybe even assembling a ginger bread house. Tis the season!