On tuesday June 26, two years after the graft, I had an apointment with my kind graft doctor at Saint Antoine. For this anniversary, I had to go through several exams: full blood analysis (remember the fainting guy a few weeks ago?), a myelogram and a respiratory check. I was not really anxious regarding the results, as I knew that if something wrong had appeared in the analysis, I should have been contacted by my doctor.
The first sentence of my graft doctor was ” the results are perfect”: yes! She went through all the results, explaining us that my immune system was working well, my red and white cells counts were top, as well as the platelets. Myelogram was good too (no blast seen). Chimerism was perfect too, nothing left of “me”. in the bone marrow!
Then my clever graft doctor concluded (she knows that I am always looking forward for this): it is time to lower again the ciclosporine (from 20mg twice a day to 10mg twice a day). And she added: you don’t need anymore antibiotics; also no need for extra vitamins; I remove also the stuff you take to protect the liver. Also, you have photopheresis each month: have two more (monday july 2d, and one in august) and then you will be free!
I was close to cry (or/and make a big hug to my very kind graft doctor)!
On April 26th 2016, when I started this blog, the first paper I wrote was called: from the Earth to the Moon and back: on my way to a cure for MDS. In october 10th, 2017, it was: on the way back from the Moon; in april 28, 2018, I was orbiting around Earth. Today, I landed on Earth!
I decided to come back on the Earth, “landing” in the ocean (see the photo above). For the ones who know me, it would not be a surprise: I love water ;-)! In fact, it is just because it will take some more time to be rescued: in a few months, I will be free of ciclosporine and, I guess, also free of antiviral. At this time I will be “in remission”: ppmhk will be back ;-)! But not exactly the same: half of me will be “a girl”!
Also, there are some funny things I experience every day: “before” I was kind of not sensitive to mosquito bites (well maybe not the mosquitoes we find in Canada ah ah!). Now, each time I get bitten by a mosquito, I react strongly: red and swollen! My doctor explained that it is not uncommon to see this kind of change after an allograft: “my” immune system is not any more “mine”. It is the one of my wonderful donor! So maybe she is sensitive to this… Also I might also develop some news allergies… I wish I will never become allergic to chocolate :-)!
If I am there today, saying stupid things, it is because I had the chance to meet a fantastic team of doctors, my wonderful graft doctor, nurses and other people at the Saint Antoine Hospital. Of course my anonymous stem cells donor was the key for this fast recovery: it is kind of disturbing for me to have a big part of “me” belonging to “her”, but not knowing her: maybe when I am in the subway going to Paris, I might be seated next to her :-)(or more likely she is from Germany, who knows?)! I do not forget my fabulous family and friends: they have always been around me in the bad days and in the good days…
You are all very precious for me: I love you from the bottom of my heart!
Of course it is not yet the end of the story: there will be other up and down…
To be continued…
Here is a sample of the results for the last analysis I have done:





If interested, you will find a full copy of the results at:
Click to access 1974_001%5B1%5D.pdf






Like this:
Like Loading...