Almost normal..

This is what I figured remission would be like. No symptoms of my disease at all. No back-aches, no night sweats, no feeling unwell.
If I felt like this before going to Germany I probably would not have gone. However I have a PET scan that says I'm not in remission.
Just some sort of low in my lymphomas activity.

I've been back on full duties at work. It's been over a year since I last picked up my tools and worked a full-on day. Last week I was flat out doing all sorts of engineering work without the slightest bit of fatigue. ..and yet I'm just over two weeks away from having salvage chemo. It just seems so bizarre to be facing such an intense period of treatment when I feel this good.

My dry, choking cough is now a permanent feature and I cannot talk without punctuating every sentence with a cough or two. It still drives me nuts!

My stem cells arrived back in NZ late on Friday night. The staff at the cryopreservation lab at Wellington hospital would not have been happy as the shipment finally arrived at 8:40pm according to the delivery report. They will be tested to see if they have degraded in any way. I have been waiting for the stem cells to arrive back home before posting here that I discovered that the documentation from Germany had been filled out retrospectively and therefore was very suspect. I informed the team handling my transplant as soon as I saw the falsified documents. They have said they will dispose of my stem cells if there is any doubt as to their viability. (Why is it that at almost every point in my treatment there have been these sorts of dramas!! ??)

I have a busy few days at work next week before I take a break for Christmas. Kurt left for his holidays on Friday last week and will take over running the workshop until I return at the end of my treatment. I might be OK to do some light duties, I may not, Who knows. Same goes for my motorsport.. I will miss the opening two rounds of the 2009 Duncan McKenzie series, Port rd and Mount Victoria hillclimb.
I have dreams of jumping in my car and doing one single run at each event, possibly before collapsing in fatigued heap. I'd need to have safe blood counts before I could even entertain the thought of entering.. I probably need to face facts.. I won't be racing for 3-4 months, But I never say never!

I'll next post once I'm in hospital from Jan 9th. I'll be there for 4-5 days.

Meanwhile..I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a relaxing holiday break!