Day -5

I'm torn between an update on the schedule and a general 'how-ya-doing" kind of post. So let's see where this goes. The second round of busulfan is infusing as we speak; for the next three days, this schedule continues - two rounds of busulan and one of fludarabine. 

The actual infusion is barely noticeable. It's just the side effects that you have to deal with and so far so good - no bad side effects yet and my appetite remains normal. But I know that as the chemo continues to build over the next four days, the side effects will likely start showing up. We'll just have to tackle them when they do. 

Cleary one of the biggest challenges will be boredom -- even with books and magazines to read shows to stream, sports to watch, games to play on the phone. And the adjustment hasn't been a gradual one. Work and life in general had been very busy these past few months, and in particular, these past few weeks. It's like going from 60 mph to zero in an instant - it's bound to cause a bit of a psychic jar. 

While I'm sure battling the boredom will be an ongoing fight, we'll get into the hospital routine and tackle it day by day. It's like going out for a long run - if you think at the start of it how far you have to go, you'll never make it to the end. So I'll treat this like I do on those long runs I used to run -- knowing I'm almost a quarter of the way through. And that after tomorrow, I'll be at the halfway part for the main chemo.  Then it's rest day and new stem cells. We'll get there, one step at a time.

Til tomorrow.