On April 14 we returned to Houston for tests and other appointments. The 14th was tests only -- CAT scan, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, x-rays, and blood tests. Except for the blood tests, all of these were for a follow-up visit with the stem cell doctor on the 21st. On the 15th we saw Dr. Duvic. She basically said my skin looked pretty good, and she doesn't want to see me again until mid-June. She also removed some of what she thought was a squamous cell carcinoma on my forearm. (This week they told us that it is a squamous, and that I'll need to find a Mohs surgeon to finish the surgery. They think they can fix me up with a surgeon here in town without needing to return to Houston.) We also saw Dr. Plana, my cardiologist, and he ordered an echocardiogram and cholesterol tests.
We drove home on the 15th, and returned to Houston on the 21st. They did the echocardiogram, and I also got my quarterly infusion of Boniva. (I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm involved in a Boniva study. Apparently bone loss is a big issue for transplantees. So I'm in a group taking Boniva along with Vit. D and calcium. Another group is just on D and calcium. They did a bone density on me before my first dose in February. They'll take others at six and twelve months.) Then we saw Dr. Hosing, my transplant doctor. She said the CAT scans looked good, as did the x-rays. Unfortunately, the marrow analyses still weren't in, even though they were done a whole week earlier. We still haven't heard. But the news we did get was all good, so we were pretty happy.

We're Back Home!

We got back to our hometown this afternoon (Saturday) about 1. We're pretty much wiped out. I think that has more to do with the emotional release of getting back than with the effort involved. We're extremely happy to be back, and I expect we'll be even happier tomorrow after a good night's sleep. Thanks again to Susan, our house-sitter, who kept the place looking great. It was a tremendous relief to feel that our house was in good hands. And thanks again to all who sent messages and thoughts of goodwill during our Houston sojourn.