The “slacker” is back!

I definitely need to catch up on some details of this journey! I don’t know why I dropped off the blog for the past 10 days but I guess I just needed some time to deal with it all.

I came home on Easter Sunday and the first week home was a total detox and a rollercoaster of emotions and physical adjustment to being back home.  What I did not realize when I was in Rochester and going through the process, was how busy I was.  The outpatient program is great because it keeps you moving.  During my first meeting with Dr. Dingli, from the Mayo Clinic, he gave me this advice, ” All I want you to do is Drink, Eat, Move and Smile ”   I took that to heart and everyday concentrated on these 4 things.  And moved A LOT.

When I settled in at home, I found that it was really quiet and very relaxing.  I broke out my pencils and coloring books and the Simon memory game and started using all of the fun gifts you all sent to me, for my R & R in between the work emails and phone calls.  One day I had great energy and didn’t feel like I was overdoing it because I didn’t go anywhere, other than a walk around the neighborhood.  But then the next day I would be really slow and tired and my energy level was off.  Then, of course, I thought I should just bounce back and it wasn’t happening.  Friday I called the Nurse station back at Mayo to review the week and I was kindly reminded that my body was working overtime to re-build my immune system and this was completely normal and expected but, she offered some hope that each week, the good days would start to out-number the crummy days.   I knew it but it was still frustrating.  When they gave me all of the IV’s of steroids and potassium and who knows what else, it would just take time for me to filter that all of out of my system.  I also realized that I did not do the prep work for “after” the transplant and the release.  All I remembered from the discharge appointment was that I had no restrictions!   Excellent, but not quite the reality.  One day I went for a long walk and it felt so good but then 1/2 hour later, I crashed.   I just had no routine for that first week home and it obviously made it tougher for me to deal with. Emotionally I was happy with the early release and being home but I had to slow down and that is not something I am not used to doing.  So I was getting frustrated with myself.  But then I would get these wonderful reminders from friends and family to “Relax and take it slow”  Those were super helpful to read.

After the first 7 days home, I started sleeping better each night and then I am figuring out how to maintain my energy throughout the day.  I also got myself back to eating the right meals and built my new routine.  I only have a few meds now and a couple vitamins but it still takes some time to organize when they are taken and with or without food, etc.  and figuring that out helps keep my stomach feel better. I also realized that if I take a little extra time to relax, first thing in the morning, it is a much better way to start the day versus a straight shot to work email with a coffee!  And taking a short break from the laptop every couple of hours is especially helpful.

I was talking to a few friends about getting back to work and how important the balance in our daily lives is.  It can be easy to get overwhelmed with work but bottom line is we all need to continually strive for a balance between work and family and friends.  I love what I do for work and I have so many fantastic customers, that it is also a great distraction from this medical journey.   The last couple of days have been 100% better than the same time last week, so I on the right path now.