Feeling better

It has been 25 days since my transplant. The roughest 25 days of my life. I am glad that I cannot remember day 0 - 10. It was too brutal. My mouth was so bloody and sore I could barely swallow. I had two angels watching over me Maddie and Monica. Without their devoted care I do not know how I would have made it. Carol was taxed out. The severity of this transplants was well beyond the first. Compare a hand grenade to "Little Big Man."

The staff have been fantastic. It is a dirty job they have and must be tough watching so many people in pain. Somehow they do not lose their empathy.

I am trying to each and drink but not too thrilled by either. I try to eat a little more each day to build strength. It is working slowly

God sent a priest to bring comfort and encouragement, Ft Luke is great.

Born Again

Reformed theologians do not believe in multiple rebirth experiences. Once we have been reborn we are reborn. Once we have been baptized, we do  not need to be rebaptized. Once we have been baptized by the Spirit we have been baptized by the Spirit. That is not to say that we cannot experience profound spiritual encounters that may be deeply emotional and spiritually convicting. However, I just experienced my third rebirth.

It was not a deeply moving spiritual experience, it was biological. My first rebirth came during a worship service in Northfield, OH. The second rebirth came in a hospital room at the University of WA. This third rebirth came on the 8th floor of the Karmanos Medical Center. My stem cells were transplanted into my body.  I would not have any WBC to fight infections or platelets to clot and to stop the bleeding of a wound. It is like a rebirth because without that transplant I would either die of an infection or the loss of blood from a wound.

The transplant is rather anti-climatic. Several nurses all stand around while on nurse takes a bag of stem cells, thaws it and hooks it to an IV. They used 4 bags and the transplant made me very cold. The cells are stored at -450F and thawed before they are injected into me but they still dropped my body temperature. I do not remember being as tired the first time as I was after this second transplant. I slept alot today but I still got in my walks. Sixteen laps is a mile and I have done 25 so far. The MDs recommend at least 16. The record is 1,600 laps. The guy my have been in his 30s and an avid jogger.

I am still reeling over the inept game plan that the  Cavs displayed in the fourth period and in overtime. Blatt just may be the first coached fired after taking a time to the Finals. I am a big supporter of him but whoever thought isolation basketball would win was badly mistaken.