Saw Prof in the Thursday BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) clinic. The bowel problem is not improving. My weight is much too low but has been fairly stable over the past week so I'm to have a sigmoidoscopy sometime in the next week or two :-( This may give a definitive answer or may just rule out a number of important alternative diagnoses.
Prof is sceptical that this is GvHD mainly because my skin is fine and so he has reduced the Ciclosporin to 20mg bd. At this rate I'll be off it by the end of the month as planned. My haemoglobin continues to increase, 11.7g/dl today which is quite a big rise. Platelets have improved as well. They tend to go up and down quite a bit anyway whereas changes to haemoglobin are more akin to turning an oil tanker.
Next Monday I have my three month Bone Marrow Aspirate test as part of the Figaro trial. This is the acid test so far as the leukaemia is concerned. We'll get the initial result either at next Thursday's clinic or a week later.
The next couple of weeks is going to be quite busy and important. Actually, what it really is, is an anxious time, waiting to find out what is going on in my colon and bone marrow. I think the bone marrow will be OK. The GI tract problem could be almost anything. I'm trying not to speculate and so far have resisted the temptation to google it! Who needs Google anyway when your imagination can run wild at three in the morning!
On the positive side I'm still managing some exercise pretty well every day and feel stronger for it. My blood counts are improving, my skin has settled down and I've got some rather wispy eyebrows! I shave my upper lip two to three times a week and there is a hint of faint hair growth on my head . You need excellent vision, good light and plenty of imagination to see it!
*Van Morrison "Back on Top" track 9
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