Day +162, Wednesday

This really is getting ridiculous. I’m a day behind in my posts and still writing late. Late late. One of these days I’ll catch up…it’s just that I feel like each day has something meaningful and I don’t want to not remember. Oh well. Here’s to putting one foot ahead of the other and moving forward.

Wednesday was solid, and while I felt more fatigue, hunger and was physically sore from my workouts – I also felt great! I met Kurt, who I could see jumping up and down from across the parking lot, in time for the 10 am HEW class, and just had to give him a hug. We suffered together through dead lifts, box jumps (him)/step ups (me), and “recovery” runs of varying length. At this point in my endurance life, there is no such thing as a “recovery” run – it’s just a run. I have one pace – mostly slow and steady – so the “recovery” bit inserted into the workout made me giggle. Regardless, I had fun, enjoyed seeing my heart rate hit 182, and had a blast cheering on the other three 10 am participants. And of course, I “ran” in my horrid hat – it’s become an entity unto itself, if you ask me.

Afterwards, Kurt and I grabbed Starbucks and just chatted a bit before he went to work. I’ve missed my friends and family so much throughout all of this – COVID, my transplant – life is far from normal, so a lovely outside coffee date with a good friend can make all the difference.

Then it was a series of texts with Daniele from the NIH. They’ve heard about Wilma and want a culture, which will thankfully happen Friday morning. In the interim though, I sent about 45 pictures of Wilma and my bellybutton, coincidentally, for review. Just kidding, but not really. There were many pictures sent (up close!) – not only does my Team want more info about Wilma (what type of bacteria is involved, in order to prescribe the appropriate antibiotics, if necessary), but they also wanted to confirm a suspected fungal infection in my bellybutton. Yes, awkward. I feel it too, trust me. Dr. W prescribed anti-fungal powder Nystatin. “My bellybutton is a squishy,” I keep explaining, “it’s not long and model thin – it’s flat and, well, squishy. I suspect that something just became trapped…”

Dr. W was very kind and said not to worry. And the NIH didn’t seem all that surprised, so I’m guessing this has happened before. And I should mention, I’ve been on Fluconazole, a strong anti-fungal oral medication, since before my transplant. Oy. The body is just, um, amazing!?

When I got home I had lunch. And then a second lunch. And then I ended up taking a nap, I was exhausted. Bananabear curled up next to me and it was nice listening to her purr, lulling me to sleep. I never did get out for a hike, but ended up marking and painting the interior of the notches on our new accent wall. Black matte was our color of choice, much less conspicuous than the “Sharkfin Grey” paint that now resides under our planks.

And just because whenever I think about paint color, I always return to one of my favorite episodes of Frasier….the one where Frasier sets Martin’s chair on fire and heaves it over the balcony. A carpet was destroyed in the process. Anyway – paint colors aren’t so different from carpet – enjoy the clip!

My pre-dinner snack consisted of the remaining Whole Foods Beets – the things I never knew I wanted but once discovered, I knew I couldn’t live without. And yes, they were yummy!

And finally, because my Apple Watch told me, “Marit, it only takes an 8-minute walk to close your Exercise Ring today…..” – I fell for it and went for a walk. The best part of my walk was not closing some arbitrary ring, but really ENJOYING the sunset and colors painted across the sky. When Andy returned from the store, I went out again, with him.

And another funny clip – because why not? The Holderness Family and “If My Apple Watch Was A Person”….enjoy!

I’m feeling good – tired and more hungry due to the increased movement – but good. My lungs and heart are NOT used to working this hard, and while I scale the workouts (so far, only 2) – it’s a big deal to suddenly have your body moving in this new, yet familiar and incredible way after 6+ months. I will do my best to take things day-by-day, focus on health, and have fun moving my body.

The rest of me? Wilma is here, and I can feel the cyst under my skin, and my bellybutton is slightly itchy – which in and of itself is just weird to say. But hey – I had a Stem Cell Transplant so stuff like this just happens. The rest of my skin is doing OK, thankfully! Body skin feels good, especially with the uptick in humidity (thought maybe not the bellybutton), and after four days of using hydrocortisone on my face, my rosacea flare seems to have subsided. The only other visible stuff involves a bit of lower right leg swelling with my lymphedema and a few plantar warts returning to my feet. Tacrolimus not only suppresses my immune system and organs, but it also allows previous infections to return – feet warts for one, perhaps even an old cyst in my abdomen….technically we could be dealing with Wilma v2.0?

Anyway – that’s all I’ve got! Happy Friday and here’s go getting caught up with my posts before too long! Cheers and thank you for reading and your continued support!