One Year Check Up

After checking into our hotel we took a walk to the Jeffrey, a little pub that has 30 craft beers on tap. Jim has two favorite pubs in New York that he liked going to prior to transplant. Of course after transplant Jim was not allowed to drink alcohol or enter bars and restaurants. We had fun calming the nerves by exploring a couple Monday night. The second stop was City Hops. It is teeny tiny with a few chairs by the window facing the street. It was very entertaining watching the hustle and bustle of the city walk and drive by. For dinner we ate at Rosa Mexicano which was delicious but probably not the best choice of food to go to sleep with on a nervous stomach.

Tuesday was chocked full of tests for Jim. He had to be at the hospital early for blood work and was not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight with the exception of water. They took 14 vials of blood. He had a CT scan, PET scan and lung scan. There was no sense in me going to the hospital with him until it was time to meet with Dr Sauter.  I hung out in the hotel room then went to a nice coffee shop next to the hospital where I waited for him to be done. 

We met with Dr. Sauter around 1:30. He came into the room with a smile and asked Jim how he was doing. Jim's response was "You tell me" Although the radiologist had not had time to read the PET scan, Dr. Sauter reviewed it and said it looked good. Music to our ears. I cannot describe the feeling we have right before the doctor comes into the room but I can tell you the feeling of pure joy, relief and euphoria after we hear the words that everything looks good. Jim has some minor complications from transplant but all in all Dr. Sauter is very pleased with his progress. He will continue to be followed at Georgetown Hospital and we will return to New York in July for his next check up. 

Floating on cloud nine we went back to the hotel and I contacted the family. Jim actually worked a little and we grabbed some groceries for a quiet dinner in the room. 

We thought the day couldn't get any better until Jim's phone rang. On the other end was Mike from Minnesota, Jim's donor. We asked for him to call on my cell so we could put him on speaker phone. His wife, Molly, was also on the other end and we had a very long wonderful conversation with them. This man saved Jim's life by his selfless act of donating his stem cells. He described what he had to do prior to the collection of his cells. We talked about family and hopes of meeting them in the near future.

It was a great night.

It's Wednesday now and we are on the Vamoose bus back to Virginia. We are taking the upgraded version (the gold bus). There is more leg room and it is not at capacity. Maybe I can get Jim to take it again in the future.   😏😉😍😍