Moving forwards

So it’s been a really good couple of weeks! I’ve been able to get out on longer dog walks (up to an hour!), am cooking most meals, ironing and generally able, mentally, to do most of the things I was doing pre-transplant. And whilst it can wipe me out a lot and mean I’m quite tired in the evening, it feels really good to be properly up and about, just two months after my transplant. I even did 2 hours of ‘leaf clearing’ yesterday! I love contributing properly again. Nothing better for the mental health.

I also spoke with my consultant last week and he has told me that my bloods are looking good and within the ‘normal’ range. A real relief in this time of covid. It doesn’t mean I’m not at risk, but does mean that I might stand a chance if I was to get it – always good to know!

I’ve also made the decision to go ahead with daratumumab as a maintenance therapy. Now that I’m feeling a lot better, it feels like it’s not really up for debate. If I was to relapse and I hadn’t gone ahead with it, I think I would always wonder if I’d caused the issue. I’ve also got the option to extend the period between treatments if I do find it harder post-SCT. So we’ll see how I do this week (I’m in hospital as I write this waiting for treatment), and if I find it really hard going I’ll ask to go to every 6 weeks.

So generally, life is pretty good going. I’m definitely doing better than I did first time round, and hopefully if I can continue to listen to my body and not overdo things around the house, it will continue to improve and I’ll continue to get stronger.

And whilst this may go down like a lead balloon, although other people are dreading another lockdown, for me, from a selfish perspective, I’m quite relieved. It keeps me that bit safer and nothing really changes for us. We’ve not been out (other than dog walks and hospital) for nearly 10 months now, not been to a restaurant, not properly socialised. I know it’s very inward looking, but that was starting to get hard, and now I don’t feel like we’re missing out on quite so much.

Christmas is going to be strange this year for everyone I think. I’m convinced we’ll still be in lockdown but Nick and I are determined to make this a period of positives. We’ve started planning for Christmas already, secret Santa Christmas outfits for the family, entertainment, food…we’re on it! Thankfully he’s really good at coming up with ideas and they really made me smile at a time I was a little bit miserable. I’m even going to make the Christmas cake and first mince pies this week ✅. We’ve been so lucky (and worked hard) to keep safe and I think we want to see this next couple of months as a time to try and celebrate that, even in lockdown. And hopefully to catch up virtually with all those people who have helped us.