Day +21

Well...I'm finally at home typing this as Isaiah finally falls asleep. I think he was even more excited than I was that I came home, and he resisted going to bed for several hours. It feels very good to be home! There is comfort here that isn't available in the hospital. Part of being home though is that it makes me want to act like I'm healthy again. Although I've done extremely well following my transplant, I still get exhausted easily and my bladder hasn't recovered enough that I can avoid the bathroom for too long of a time.

Before I was discharged today I received my schedule for my outpatient visits. Every week I will be heading back to NIH at least every Monday and Thursday...starting tommorow. So Kate, Isaiah, and I will have to get up early in the morning, take Isaiah to school as early as possible, and then head over to NIH for my clinic appointment. They want me to be there around 7:30, or as close to that as possible. That way they can get my blood drawn and have the lab work done quickly in case there are any changes or procedures they want done based on the results. If all goes well, we should see the transplant team in the morning and be out of NIH by noon. If there are other tests they want done, any of those outpatient visits could become a long day. It seems like a hassle to have to visit the hospital twice a week and battle morning rush hour on 495. However, twice a week really won't be all that bad considering the fact that I am not still in the hospital, and I get to spend the time in between at home.

Thanks to everybody for all of the prayers and support. Today was a big milestone, but there is still a long way to go before life is back to normal again.