Bonnie on Day One

It is day one of Bonnie's new life (post-transplant) and here is an update from Betsy Berman, our newest "guest blogger";

Just a quick note to let you know that I talked to Bonnie today. She sounded good - making jokes as always and talking about her new pet project - knitting! Knowing Bonnie, Isabel and Devon will have an abundance of darling, hand-knitted outfits by the time Bonnie is out of the hospital.

Bonnie mentioned that while the procedure yesterday was "a non-event," she did not take it lightly. She wore a Tibetan prayer shawl given to her by a friend who climbed Mt. Everest and had a chaplain there to read one of her favorite poems. She had one of the nurses take a picture of her with the bag of cord blood and hopes the photo will make its way to the blog.

According to Bonnie, today is officially "day one." On day 21, they will do another bone marrow biopsy to ensure that the stem cells are doing their jobs, "moving in, setting up shop, and getting to work," as Bonnie puts it. She is now taking immunosuppressant drugs which are making her feel not so great. Bonnie thinks that as things go forward, she will probably feel best in the mornings and then not as great in the afternoon as the drugs are generally given to her mid-day. She said she loves talking to people on the phone (hospital phone; her cell doesn't work in
the hospital), and she does have an answering machine in her room.

Bonnie also talked about her setup in the hospital - her room is smaller than her room at UCSF and they do not allow patients to walk the halls. We all know how much Bonnie loved to do her laps at UCSF, so nobody will be surprised to learn that she used her negotiation skills to acquire an in-room treadmill from the physical therapy department! (Go, Bonnie!)

Bonnie is looking forward to visits from Mike (next week), Isabel and Devon (later this month), and girlfriends (September and October). She said to give her love and to say hi to everyone.

-Betsy

Thanks, Betsy for the update.