(15) Long Road to Recovery

The road to recovery will be long and slow but it's the tail end of the process here in Mexico

The chemo has been rough and left me with barely any energy for several days. daily injections commenced 2 days after my clean stem cells went back in. They exacerbate my MS symptoms (balance in particular) but the injections are to stimulate the cell count which is important to get to a safe stage to be able to travel home.

My cell count is currently too low to fight any type of infection or germs. Isolation has been important, so we really aren't allowed to leave our room for much.

We leave our room for daily injections at 8am, bloods & Haematologist consult 48 hourly, when the cleaner comes daily, we are allowed to the Rooftop for minimal sun exposure and maximum of 20 minutes due to air quality. All occasions, it is mandatory to wear a mask, we are to change and wash all clothing daily and not eat any foods that aren't cooked (no fresh fruit or vegetables)

I have also noticed the stubble of my hair is starting to fall out, I knew it would, I have started to notice little bits left behind on head rests!! Not sure how I feel about that 🫤

We are counting down to get home but also know that things will look a little differently for a while, and hygiene will become a huge priority!!

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(9) The Headshave - Day 8

One thing that had caused me anxiety throughout this process was the inevitable Headshave. As a women, my hair is part of my identity and for as long as I can remember my hair has been long. I decided 3-4 days in that I was shaving it. Mainly to avoid washing, drying and straightening it again. But I decided to pick a day and time that worked well for everyone back home and that was final. (no backing out!) I put the message out to the patients at the facility that we would be shaving my hair at 3.30 pm on Tuesday 11th on the rooftop. I received very little response but what transpired on the day made it all just a bit easier. I wasn't sure if I was going to be the only one shaving, and at that point, I wasn't too concerned. Turns out 6 other patients shaved, and others come to support. Ineke from the Netherlands came to watch, her partner was adamant he didn’t want her to shave and wanted to wait and see what happened with her hair during chemo. She was ha...

(17) 3 months post stem cell transplant!!!

Recovery - not going as well as hoped. Perhaps my expectations exceeded reality! Who would have thought! Apparently, it can take months (which I knew) or years to fully recover. I am not sure I am that patient, but I am going to have to be!! Naively, I thought I'd be job & car hunting this month, not the case! Mobility has worsened, and I can't walk far without assistance. Despite this, it is important to try and maintain some sort of normalcy although a huge effort. It would be easier to stay in bed, but what would that achieve? So, I have decided, regardless of the challenges, to ramp up therapies and really work harder towards my goal. I have always said I wanted to complete a full marathon before I am 50. I have done 6 half marathons and signed up and trained for a full marathon but pulled an injury 2 weeks out. To say I was devo is an understatement, but one day! Marcus says I should focus on walking properly first but I have always said 'go...

(18) 6 Months post transplant...

6 Months post transplant... Well, I didn't think 6 months would come, and I certainly didn't anticipate being worse than before treatment, but here we are. In my head I'd be working, driving and running again by now. Not the case, in fact far from it! I have based recovery on some other stories I had read... why not aim high, I am only setting myself up for a greater disappointment.🙄 I was worried that maybe I was doing something wrong, thinking perhaps I shouldn't be pushing myself too hard. But like most things, if you don't use it, you'll lose it. It's important to keep moving, so despite motivation being low... I do. And no, apparently I am doing everything right, and time, it'll take time to recover. I am inpatient, I know, but 6 months of doing not much feels like forever!! And now I have to wonder if this is as good as it's going to get. Everything seems like the biggest challenge, and I have learnt to listen to my body better, pace mys...

Sam Fights MS

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