Look at my immune system grow! Even had to change the scale on the graph.
My red blood cells are holding up and my platelets are something ridiculous like 98!! However, just because I’ve got this brilliant immune system doesn’t mean I’m not at risk of infection. Essentially we now have to think of me as a baby. My immune system is brand new and hasn’t been exposed to any of the bugs. So if I catch a cold I’m still high risk of it developing into chest infections/pneumonia or just generally feeling really crap from it. I will have to have all my baby jabs again after a year or so in remission. And every month I will have to have this nasty pentamidine nebuliser . It tastes manky, and if i took a deep breath it hit the back of my throat and made me gag….. nasty.. However i learnt if I did slow calm breaths then it seemed a lot easier. Just got to keep thinking that its got to be better than actually getting pneumonia!!
The doctors have been debating the plan for me. Because my engraftment looks good they were debating sending me home and letting me have the antibiotics as an outpatient, however my diarrhea is still giving me grief so they want to keep me here until that settles and they work out the cause. So far there is no sign of infection which is good, so possibilities are the chemo, the antibiotics and potentially graft versus host disease (where the new immune system is attacking my body). We will see!! I am quite happy to stay here a bit longer though, I am completely exhausted and have had to turn down visitors…… really hope i stop this ridiculous pooing soon!!!
Emma's fight against MDS 
That is a very exciting graph! How do they work it with letting your immune system develop through exposure vs not giving you pneumonia? Is it a question of time before you are okay to expose yourself to things like colds? I’m guessing you only develop immunity by getting exposed.
It’s amazing to think you can replace your immune system like that.
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I’m not really sure to be honest Katherine!! But basically for the near future I am to try and avoid exposure to colds and things. As time goes by i think you naturally develop immunity also its inevitable that I will pick up something along the way. Just hoping I can last long enough to avoid being readmitted!
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