Day Fifty; Rules for Visiting

Day Fifty
Yesterday (Wednesday) was day 50 of my 100-day transplant experience. So, if all goes well, we may be heading home in 50 days. We're very happy to be at this point and to have received fairly good reports along the way.
Monday I had appointments with Drs. Duvic and Dabaja. Dabaja (radiation) again passed on the idea of further radiation, saying it looked to her like my new immune system may well be on the job. We showed Duvic (dermatology) a rash that had appeared on my lower abdomen, lower back, and upper thighs. She and her team were kind of puzzled by it, so they took a biopsy. The preliminary word came back on Wednesday that it was graft versus host disease, pending confirmation by a team of specialists. We still haven't received that final word yet, which is disappointing. Stay tuned. As I've mentioned before, a mild case of gvhd is generally considered a good thing, being a sign that the new immune system is identifying "foreign" tissue. Over time, the doctors can control the situation so that eventually the immune system attacks my healthy tissue less and less while keeping up the fight with my disease.

Rules for Visiting
I've intended to post this in the past, but never got around to it. Now is a good time, though, because friends and family are planning to come see us throughout March. We certainly don't want to sound like we don't want visitors, because we do! But the doctors keep telling us how important it is for me to avoid illness at all costs. They say I'm kind of like a newborn in terms of immunity. An illness could set my recovery back and could even prolong our stay here in Houston. Here are their rules:

1. If you are sick with an infectious disease, or have been sick with an infectious disease within the 3 or 4 days before visiting, I can't be in the same room with you.
2. If anyone in your household is sick with an infectious disease, or has been sick with an infectious disease within the 3 or 4 days before your visit, I can't be in the same room with you.
3. I can't be visited by children under the age of 12.
4. Upon entering our apartment you'll have to wash your hands with soap and water and apply hand sanitizer. We will all wear surgical masks. If we go sit by the pool (or any other outdoor, non-enclosed area), only I would have to wear a mask.
5. No hugging. Sorry Carey.
6. No flowers and no fresh fruits or vegetables.

I feel very strange having to set all that down in writing, but that's the restricted world we inhabit right now. I hope everyone understands.