Lovingheart

Older picture below When he first had the PICC line put in, Marlon was disappointed and would have rather have had the port. Back in November 2022 when the port was removed.  It was internal with no parts sticking out unless he was accessed. The doctors had a couple of reasons for Marlon getting the line.  First of all, this time around treatment would be shorter.  When first diagnosed back in 2020, he was in treatment for two years.  Start to finish this time around is approximately eight months.  Also when the line was first inserted, Marlon's platelets were quite low so a more extensive surgery was not recommended.  It took him quite a while to get used to having the line.  He didn't want to move his arm much at all for a couple of months.. Over time he has adjusted and the other day he was swinging an axe.  He was splitting wood, not yet back at axe-throwing.  He was also digging a hole in the ground for T. He has also been able to apprec...

A long visit at the hospital on Tuesday but mostly just waiting around.  His first return visit to McMaster. All is good. With transplant, an important drug is tacrolimus which suppresses the immune system so the new cells don't get kicked out.  He is being weaned off tacrolimus over the next couple of weeks. Marlon wanted to know when the PICC line would be removed.  Assuming all continues to go well it should be out within the month. Since getting out of Toronto, the pace has picked up and a full, normal, and healthy life is within reach. Happy dogs.  We have been making the most of the mild, dry weather.

He's off steroids.  In the morning he is expected at the hospital by 8am to check cortisol levels.  The levels can be affected by steroids as the body relies on the cortisol from the drug. It's good to think that the further away we get from the bone marrow transplant the closerk Marlon is to freedom from any treatment. A hawk watching a crow fly by

Drove Marlon to Guelph and spent a decent amount of time outside both before and after.  By the time the sun was going down, I felt chilled all the way through.  When I went to pick up Marlon, I cranked the heat in the car.  It helped a little.  He felt like it was too stuffy in the car.  When I was driving taxi, I often had the vehicle quite warm and toasty in the cold weather. Definitely not to everyone's liking. It was a real frost this morning.  

Spent a lot of time outside today. Marlon had a friend come over in the afternoon.  They walked and walked.  I am guessing Marlon tired his friend out. He is still immune compromised and is supposed to be somewhat isolated.  So far, he has pushed the boundaries a little (going into stores in Toronto with me).  He is planning to go into Guelph tomorrow and normally would take the bus.  I think that public transit might be a bit much. We have some ground cherries.  Unfortunately a lot of them froze outside.

It is good to hang out with the dogs again.  When we returned home and emptied our bags into the porch, Mina kept an eye on them.  Making sure we weren't planning on leaving again. In Toronto,  I was walking a lot more than Marlon.  I had to drag him outside for walks.  At home, I am telling him to go easy on himself.  While we were away, T and P were very busy with the garden, food, housework and the dogs (the dogs were treated like royalty).  I have been spending time getting caught up on some cleaning that they ran out of time to do, and my mail, and some organizing.  Busy days. Good old fall colours