Day's 5 & 6: TLI In the Books

It's Saturday evening, Day 6 in the hospital, and I've officially finished my radiation regimen! I'm pretty excited that Part 2 of the transplant is now over. All this week I recieved radiation twice a day to all of the locations seen in this picture. It's called Total Lymphoid Irradiation. The side effects have been predictable, but not as bad as I expected, which I'm very thankful for. I've got some GI track inflammation (read heartburn), nausea, etc. This is all pretty standard and I've been dealing with it just fine.

First thing tomorrow I start what will (hopefully) be my last round of chemo. It's scheduled to be 4 days long, but usually lasts 5, after which I'll get my transplant.

Beyond the constant trips downstairs to radiation therapy, I've been watching some TV, surfing the internet (quite a bit), and doing laps around the 8th Floor. I'm not sure how many laps I've done, but I hear 14 is a mile. After my white blood cell count drops I won't be allowed to leave my room, since I'll be what the doc's call "immunosuppressed", so I've been getting out as much as I feel up to.

Thanks again to everyone who's been emailing, calling, praying, and special thanks to those who have visited. I'm confident you've all been a big part of me making it this far. Much Love.

-Jeff