Currently I’m in Mammoth Lakes, California. It’s hot, slightly smokey and gorgeous. I didn’t even mind my 3.5 hour shuttle from Reno, as the scenery was so breathtaking, familiar mountains winking in the distance as old friends. Tomorrow I’m set to take a shuttle into Yosemite, my home base for the next (just under) 2 weeks. I’ve got a solo loop, plus a lovely grand tour of the park with Christine planned…I can’t wait.
Life has been interesting, as of late. Between trip planning, graduate school prep, friends visiting in our post-pandemic world, medical appointments and just life – I’ve spent my time doing things other than blogging. I keep reminding myself that it’s more important to DO the thing, than to think about it & then write….or not do the thing, stay home & write about that.
So here I am!
Overall I’m doing well. Physically, my body is adjusting well without immunosuppressant medications, and I feel more and more like my old self. My blood counts are surely but steadily rising, my WBC 4.5 last week even! Better yet, for the first time in months, there was NO detectable EBV (Epstein Barr Virus) in my system. Dr W nearly jumped for joy and I felt my shoulders actually relax. If the NIH could have given me a high five, they would have. More importantly, I’m feeling better, stronger, more like my old self.
I still struggle with major fatigue, though; pool league really exacerbates this I’ve noticed. During the fall term, I’ll have to figure out how best to proceed – until then, I’ll do what I need to meet my body’s needs
Otherwise, my body is doing about as well as it can, 8 months post-transplant. I’ve made the biggest changes with my skin, opting to use an oil-based toner with my moisturizer, per the recommendation of my esthetician who shaped my eyebrows. Yes, they were groomed & waxed, no – I didn’t go with her boutique suggestion, instead opting to return to my pre-transplant EvanHealy products.
So far, they feel great!
The other exciting news is that I’ve had my hair trimmed, twice! There’s something entirely wrong about growing a mullet, so I opted for the easy trim appointment. Nothing much has changed from month 6, to month 8, except that the hair I have is much more thick. Huzzah for that!
And now it’s late. I’ve been up for close to 22 hours, flown across the country, taken a 3.5 hour Shuttle,and eaten my weight in Laffy Taffy. I’ve got an 8-something am shuttle to catch tomorrow and am doing my best to keep things organized for my trip. I’m hoping to finish my trip by the 24th, so I’ll likely have a block of posts devoted to Yosemite…but for now, I’m just catching up with myself from the beginning of the month. Even my sentences feel tough to compose, so that’s my cue!
Enjoy the rest of July & thanks for reading!
The Art of Transplant 
Have a wonderful time in the High Country!! I’ve just returned from a week of backpacking out of Vermilion “resort” in the Mono Divide region – a mix of JMT/PCT, less traveled trails and off trail hiking. Just beautiful! Fingers crossed that fires don’t mess with your trip.
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