Day +73, Friday

We saw The Bird!

Today, Mom and I parked a few miles down the towpath from Great Falls Park and decided to enjoy a walk along the Potomac. Our intended destinations were the waterfalls, but then we saw the crowds of people. And yes, I realize that “crowds of people” after having a Stem Cell Transplant is not a great thing, even less so during a Global Pandemic. I stayed to the far right, next to a masked gentleman close to my father’s age, who very helpfully lent me his binoculars, while Mom approached the left flank. Between the two of us, she got the picture and I saw the bird.

It was amazing!

I didn’t really think it would be that big of a deal. But then I caught a glance – one of the most royal blues in nature I have ever seen, a shock of red on its chest, and a very seemingly out of place green/yellow on it’s back and wings. It was extraordinary, just marvelous!

I felt OK today. My skin is gradually doing better – the rash seems more like a light sunburn, though it still feels different – like I’ve got something that needs to be itched deep within, but a) I can’t access it and b) it’s not that bad. For now, we stay the course. Something that does NOT feel good? My abs. Peloton killed them yesterday, and that was “only” a 20-minute core workout. It’s just going to take time, a little bit of work every day to get stronger. I’ve done this for most of my life, regaining fitness after being very sick; I’ve proven that I can do hard things and this is no different.

Other challenging things? Well talking about the next subject, for one. But it’s part of transplant, and besides, I’ve already talked about difficulty with intercourse, so onward! After Christmas, per Daniele’s recommendation, I purchased a set of Dilators from Intimate Rose. I’ve been using them for about a week, and am taking my time and letting my body adjust. Basically, this means I’ll stay at one level (they range from 1 at the smallest to 8, the largest) for a few days, before upping the size to the next as my body becomes more comfortable. I consider it a type of physical therapy for my sexual and emotional health; with this transplant, my odds of a longer and healthier life are greatly increased. I want to enjoy them.

Other interesting things happening? My blond hair is so light and fine that I still look bald. Don’t get me wrong – I AM mostly bald, but the little hairs that are growing are just hard to see. I’m still loosing eyelashes and my eyebrows are thinning – shedding hair is normal, and with my chemo having started mid-October, it makes sense that what hair I have left is thinned and fine. I’ll be curious about how they grow back.

But that’s a conversation for another day. It’s late and I’m turning into a pumpkin. Goodnight!