Consolidated

Today was the step called "consolidation," for reasons that are unclear to me. It could be called "the day they give you an IV full of a mustard gas derivative in order to kill your bone marrow" but that would probably not be good for business. In any case, I have been served.

There are four different anti-nausea drugs, two antibiotics, one antiviral, and one antifungal. Apparently the nurses offer barbering services to make the hair loss less messy.

It takes a while for the Melphalan to work its magic, so at present I feel OK. I have a whole new set of rules from now on, including:

1) no toothbrush: I have little sponges-on-sticks, and I am to "brush" with saline.
2) no razor: electric only (yes, I do [did] shave)
3) no nail clippers
4) no deodorant, or anything scented
5) no walking barefoot, even indoors (also no shoes in the house, which makes it complicated)

As far as I know, I am still permitted to eat with a fork. This may be an oversight resulting from the fact that so many people seem to lose their appetite completely. Hasn't happened yet, I can report.

Tomorrow is a day off with just a quick check of blood counts, and Monday is transplant day (5:00 AM).

That's a lot to swallow (not including pain and nausea meds "as needed").