Back near the beginning of July I finally had my one year post-transplant appointment. They took seventeen vials of blood from me to run a lot of different tests. I am happy to report that according to my BMT team, I am healthy again! The bone marrow transplant worked. I don't need to be on any pills anymore! My immune system is still taking it's time coming back completely, but to be fair it has been through a lot. What this means is that I am free to go back to school and work and be in public again. Of course now that I am better, we are all still dealing with Covid. So that's a bummer. I am also still waiting on my immune system to be ready to receive immunizations again. That is the last thing I will need to do to be completely finished with my treatment.
To my surprise, my doctor said that my last bone marrow aspirate (a procedure where they extract some of my bone marrow to look at) was no longer needed. The last time I had one done was September 2019. I was going to have another one in March but then Covid hit and everything got pushed back. My blood work has looked great though so he said we can just skip it! That was a relief. Plus he's right. Doing that procedure would be pretty pointless because I am clearly doing great. My blood doesn't show anything suspicious. It shows that my body has taken to the marrow I received from my donor very well.
Speaking of my donor, back in the beginning of May I found out who my donor was! Turns out she was a girl around my age from Texas. She and I have emailed back and forth a bit and I was able to find out what the process of being a donor was like for her. So that was cool!
On Wednesday I finally got my port removed! That was a very big step! Over the last five years I have had three separate ports, one for each relapse. The one I just got removed I have had since December 2018. Getting it taken out was bittersweet because having my port was like a safety net for me. My port was how I've gotten chemo, bloodwork, fluids, etc. Words can't express how grateful I am to have had a port. It made everything so much easier. I know I don't need it anymore, so I was able to make the decision to get it taken out. The reason why I kept it in so long is because the veins in my hands and my arms are very hard to access. They were overused from when I was first diagnosed in 2009. The last IV I remember getting just from this relapse was last February. Still after all that time, when I needed an IV for the port removal surgery, it took four attempts to get a vein. Good thing I was under anesthesia for that! When I got home from the surgery that day, my chest where they removed the port hardly hurt at all. I needed to ice my already bruising hand just from getting poked for IVs! Anyway, hopefully I will not be needing to get an IV anytime in the near future.
That is the update on my health. It's still incredible for me to think of where I was just last year to where I am now. I am very grateful.
During the last few months with Covid, my family and I have remained healthy. I was able to move into a new bedroom- the first time I've had my own room in my house! I've always shared with Mal and Marti. The biggest reason for getting my own room was so I could fit a desk for school. This summer I started taking classes at Camden County College. I just did one to start and in the beginning of September I will be a full-time student. It will be online like everyone else but that's okay. I will miss BYU and I truly loved it there, but I know that going back out to Utah is not what I am supposed to do right now. I was able to get my tuition paid for by a grant so I decided I'm going to try to finish my degree locally. That's all I have planned for right now. Going to school and working with my dad. I'm open to whatever comes next! 😊
Thanks for reading and I hope you are staying safe and healthy!
xo,
Megan
To my surprise, my doctor said that my last bone marrow aspirate (a procedure where they extract some of my bone marrow to look at) was no longer needed. The last time I had one done was September 2019. I was going to have another one in March but then Covid hit and everything got pushed back. My blood work has looked great though so he said we can just skip it! That was a relief. Plus he's right. Doing that procedure would be pretty pointless because I am clearly doing great. My blood doesn't show anything suspicious. It shows that my body has taken to the marrow I received from my donor very well.
Speaking of my donor, back in the beginning of May I found out who my donor was! Turns out she was a girl around my age from Texas. She and I have emailed back and forth a bit and I was able to find out what the process of being a donor was like for her. So that was cool!
On Wednesday I finally got my port removed! That was a very big step! Over the last five years I have had three separate ports, one for each relapse. The one I just got removed I have had since December 2018. Getting it taken out was bittersweet because having my port was like a safety net for me. My port was how I've gotten chemo, bloodwork, fluids, etc. Words can't express how grateful I am to have had a port. It made everything so much easier. I know I don't need it anymore, so I was able to make the decision to get it taken out. The reason why I kept it in so long is because the veins in my hands and my arms are very hard to access. They were overused from when I was first diagnosed in 2009. The last IV I remember getting just from this relapse was last February. Still after all that time, when I needed an IV for the port removal surgery, it took four attempts to get a vein. Good thing I was under anesthesia for that! When I got home from the surgery that day, my chest where they removed the port hardly hurt at all. I needed to ice my already bruising hand just from getting poked for IVs! Anyway, hopefully I will not be needing to get an IV anytime in the near future.
 |
| My port accessed one last time before going into surgery to get it removed |
That is the update on my health. It's still incredible for me to think of where I was just last year to where I am now. I am very grateful.
During the last few months with Covid, my family and I have remained healthy. I was able to move into a new bedroom- the first time I've had my own room in my house! I've always shared with Mal and Marti. The biggest reason for getting my own room was so I could fit a desk for school. This summer I started taking classes at Camden County College. I just did one to start and in the beginning of September I will be a full-time student. It will be online like everyone else but that's okay. I will miss BYU and I truly loved it there, but I know that going back out to Utah is not what I am supposed to do right now. I was able to get my tuition paid for by a grant so I decided I'm going to try to finish my degree locally. That's all I have planned for right now. Going to school and working with my dad. I'm open to whatever comes next! 😊
Thanks for reading and I hope you are staying safe and healthy!
xo,
Megan
This is awesome Megan I’m so happy for you. One day at a time and what’s important is your health and it looks like you’ve accomplished
ReplyDeletethat. Baby steps in all that you plan to do and glad you are schooling online. BYU is great but attending any college is fine too! Wishing the best for you inyour future and good luck!
Way to GO! I am so happy to hear that you are doing so well. Hopefully this is the end of it and you can go and do everything you have always wanted! We miss you and love you dearly. You are the strongest person I know and I can't wait to see what else you are able to accomplish. Keep up the good work girl!
ReplyDeleteMegan, i am so happy to hear all of your good news! Prayer truly works! You are truly AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteYou can accomplish anything you set your mind to do! Have fun as you start school at Camden County and give it your best! I wish you well in all your endeavors and may God bless you always!
Love, Sister Sheridan XO