The first follow up

So, I had my first post-treatment leukemia follow up last week. It was also my first appointment without John. It is all very weird.
You may recall, my labs were slightly off, as usual, a couple weeks ago. I therefore repeated them with Dr. Bengtson, my stand in for John, and guess what! They're still slightly, but not so quitely abnormal. Lather, rinse, repeat. We're rechecking in two more weeks.
It was odd seeing some one new. I had only seen her one single day of all the days I was in the hospital so we hardly knew each other. She asked me lots of getting to know you questions, like my kids' names and ages and what Terry does for work and where I went to med school. We reviewed my treatment. It is funny to me that I cannot really remember exactly when I was in the hospital. OK, I am not even sure about the months that I had neutropenic fevers in. I am positive they were both in the fall, but I cannot do better than that. It seems funny to me that I have lost track of some big details. I remember what bacteria I grew, however and its resistance pattern, my echo and CT results so I guess I remember the important stuff. We talked about how in people who are prone to anxiety/depression (such as moi), the period immediately following treatment is often the hardest time (this will get a separate post). We discussed my labs. We planned for more labs in two weeks. I liked her and am happy and feel confident in her care. She will be a nice stand in for John.

Here's a picture of Maggie snuggled up with me. I was a stand in for Emily who was at college when that picture was taken. We are all thrilled Emily's back for the summer now.

I am thankful my whole family is safe and sound and easily accessible for me. I hope it stays that way for me and is that way for you, too.