Happy to be Home!

I'm home! I'm so excited that I finally got to go home! I turned to Ryan when I woke up this morning and just said, "What the hell happened last month?" It was such a crazy experience that it almost doesn't feel real. At times, it felt like I was never going to see the outside of the hospital! Last Saturday, the final part of the blood count the doctor's were looking for, neutrophils, started to come in. I don't really know much about the cells, other than they're a type of white blood cell and that they were really important for me to have before leaving. Everyday since Saturday, they started climbing higher and higher, with one being the magic number to go home. While I'm still not at normal, healthy blood levels, I was high enough on many things to be able to come home. I still have to be very careful when out and about, basically avoiding crowds, being super careful with food, and staying away from germs. Over the month I've become so afraid of germs. I want to give everyone I see a hug, but I still have to be careful and hold back.

Otherwise, being home is great so far. It hasn't even been 24 hours, but its nice. I missed my dog so much, so it was nice to see her. I have a doctor's appointment next week for another bone marrow biopsy and sonogram, and I have to lay low until then. I'm still pretty weak and I'm starting to get a pretty big belly, so its not hard to sit home and take naps! In the next few weeks I'm looking forward to a bit of normalcy-  not walking around with a pole, not getting blood taken all day, and being able to go outside! 
On the day I was discharged, Ryan and I got to take a tour of the Children's Hospital where I will be having baby Emma. We got to see the labor and delivery unit, as well as the NICU. Emma will be delivered around 32 weeks, so we are planning that she will have to stay in the hospital for a little while. If all works out, Emma and I will be in the hospital together but in separate units. She will stay until she is healthy to go home, most likely about 36 weeks, and I will be back after I deliver her for my second round of chemo, another month long stay. The labor and delivery section of the hospital was beautiful, everything is nicely renovated and overlooks Manhattan. Touring the NICU was a great experience. We sat down with one of the doctors and got many questions answered, as well as talked to a social worker to ask about some logistical questions. Afterwards, we got to see some of the babies. There were babies there as small as 1 lb, and they were thriving. Babies were either on a warming table, in an incubator or in a crib. We got to see some babies that were born around 32 weeks, much like what we will be experiencing. We were told to expect her to possibly be on a feeding tube and ventilator. Having Emma go to the NICU doesn't really scare me too much. Being born at 28 weeks myself, I've heard the stories from family of what to expect, and believe that she will be big and strong in no time!

Looking ahead, I'm just really going to try to enjoy the next few weeks. I'm so grateful for everything going smoothly and am happy to be one step closer to the end of this.

As always, thank you for the love and support!

Kristin

 On our way home from the hospital! By the way, the wig is super uncomfortable and I took it off soon after!