Day 89 "Graduation Day"

It was a very full, but good day at Moffitt yesterday.  First labs, then the meeting with Dr. Perez, and finally, a bone marrow biopsy.  Based on the lab results, Dr. Perez reduced some of Nick's medications and eliminated others.  Nick has gone from 40 tablets/day to 10.  The doc also said that Nick is in the top 10% of her patients' success in recovery after BMT.  You know he was happy to hear that!  We're now scheduled to see Dr Perez only once each MONTH with bi-weekly visits for labs only!  This is incredible news and marks a sort of "graduation" for Nick.  Since we won't see the doc and PA's as often as we have been, there were "hugs" and "congratulations" all around.  We even paused for a pic with Dr. Perez marking this important milestone day.
The biopsy after our meeting went well.  Learning our lesson from the last one, Nick went with the IV sedation which proved to be a smart move.  He felt fine waking up, but was famished from the fasting.  Our 10:45 biopsy appointment put the actual procedure finish at 2:00, so I had a half of a cheeseburger waiting for him in recovery.  Needless to say, it didn't last long!  Nick hasn't had a huge appetite in the last few months, but no food or water for 13+ hours was a bit more than even he could take.  Results of the biopsy will be given to us in about a week, which will be close to Nick's Day 100.  THAT will be another milestone for us and we're excited to mark the day with a little celebration of sorts. As blood counts continue to climb, we are reassured of the success of the transplant.  Once counts get closer to "normal", Nick can go on to do many of the things he did pre-transplant (like traveling, biking, etc.).  He will always live with a "new normal" in his steps to avoid GVHD or infections, but our hope and prayer is that blood counts continue to trend in the right direction so that Nick can gain his full strength back and continue to live his precious life for many, many, more years to come.
There isn't a single day that passes when we don't think about the prayers you all offered in Nick's name and we are truly grateful.  We simply couldn't have made it through this journey without your outpouring of love and kindness.  We will check in again on day 100, hopefully with the biopsy results.  After that, I will post Nick's status on our monthly doctor visits to Moffitt.