Adventures in BMT: Day -3

“It’s rude to count people as you pass them. Out loud.”
– Adidas Ad

Every day in the Winship BMT Unit, we’re expected to walk a minimum of two miles. This translates into 42 laps around the unit – 21 laps per mile. The exercise is meant to keep our muscles and stamina strong as we prepare for the transplant and, then again, on the long road to recovery.

It can get pretty congested, specially when a few of us get out there with our IV poles. I did good time and felt strong until the final lap.

Within minutes I felt like I’d been overcome by the flu. I was cold, shivering and had unbearable body aches. A quick assessment by my nurse showed that I was running a low-grade fever and that my blood pressure had crashed to unusually low levels. This is a result of doubling the ATG dosage to keep my body from rejecting the new bone marrow. I’m expecting a recurrence tomorrow as the dose will remain high and new drugs will be added to the mix. Rough as it is, the alternative is worse.

I spent the rest of the day in bed lifted by visits from dear family and friends.