After a long day—testing, third platelet transfusion, port removal, meeting with my doctor team, meeting with the pharmacist, and paper signing—I WAS RELEASED from the Transplant Center to move to the Marriott. Kathy and I are now comfortably resting in our new digs. For how long—we do not know. I have an early Transplant Clinic appointment on Friday with testing, and the Doctor will give me further marching orders based on the results. If all goes well Kathy and I will go home soon. Today I start the 100 day countdown to getting back to “normal.” During this time I will be in isolation with the rules relaxing as tests indicate my white blood cell count has reached normal. Unbelievably, my white blood cell count reached 2.88 today and yesterday they did not give me a booster. 8.00 is the goal. I was 100% immune compromised at <0.1 a week ago, so now I am only 62% immune compromised. This is awesome to me. I have done so well that I was released four days early from the hospital. I escaped all the heavy duty side effects of the transplant to this point. God be praised!

The last days were a blur of testing and numbers crunching. I was getting antsy to “get out.” I learned something important about Covid and a hospital. Once one tests positive in the hospital it is on the record until removed with CDC protocols. I had not been removed, thus any time I entered a hospital in the future I would be put in quarantine immediately. I do not have Covid, the doctors told me I did not have it. The Infection Control Specialist could not answer how I could test positive in Quarantine—no answer on all my negative tests for Covid, with one errant positive in the hospital. Yet, CDC had me with Covid in Quarantine on the record. I wanted it erased and therefore I got more tests following CDC protocol and FINALLY with all negatives I have been officially cleared. All the warning signs on my door came down a few hours before I was released. I felt sorry for all the staff who had to wear three masks and protective clothing and gloves for seventeen days in order to come into my room. They never complained! The staff at Methodist Transplant Center are awesome!

Here are a few of the things that I did not think about before entering the Transplant Center: 85 finger pricks—didn’t see that coming; 145 restroom trips at all times of the day and night pushing my drug infusion tree along with me and measuring my urine output each time—quite tiring; 71 shots in arms or stomach—I thought since I had a port, everything would go there, well, not quite. Enough of those details. I think you get the picture. A normal question asked is: Looking back and seeing all you would go through in this procedure would you have done it? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” God gives you what you need! Honestly, I did not have any real “poor me” moment. I focused on the outcome desired and how I might respectably and lovingly treat the staff who were so kind to me. I had a purpose and with God’s help stuck with it.

Blessed we are! Kathy was able to attend a Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera Christmas production in the lobby of Methodist Hospital while I settled into our room at the Marriott just steps away. AND, Marriott upgraded us to a wonderful spacious suite that they cleaned for me with hospital protocol. I am so very thankful!

Isaiah 26: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Psalm 29: “The Lord gives His people strength, the Lord blesses them with peace.”

Praise Report: My numbers continue to quickly improve. My release early from the Transplant Center.

Prayer Request: To stay infection free during this transition time.