Light at the end of the Tunnel

Today is my 20th day in the hospital, and hopefully, the last.  After the stem cells went back in, I was told that it would take 10 to 14 days for them to begin working and my immune system to begin improving. The counts indicating that improvement, began to go up in the last 48 hours, and so the transplant itself has begun to work! Hopefully, I will be able to continue getting better at home in the next few days, and then start slowly getting back out into the least crowded, and therefore least germy, places around town.  

My experience in the hospital has been surreal. I am deeply grateful to have been at such a high quality facility. I have found, not surprisingly, that the essence of the hospital's quality is in its staff. Hundreds of people contribute to my well being every day. From the nurses to the patient care techs, from the people who prepare and deliver my meals, to the ones who stock the supply shelves, to the pharmacist that fills my drug orders. I am very grateful that they made this experience as positive as it could be, but I am really looking forward to being home, able to sleep through a night without being woken up every couple of hours, able to feel some sense of privacy, and hopefully to soon feel my energy restored!