There's no place like home

Today is a really great day. Instead of updating my blog from a hospital bed in Buffalo, I am writing from my living room sofa in Vestal. I've been discharged from Roswell; I am home at Earl Road!
I got the first inkling I might be going home yesterday, when I received the results of my routine 5 a.m. bloodwork at about breakfast time. White cells were a whopping .92! Now, in the scheme of things, a .92 count is pretty pitiful (healthy counts are 3 or higher at least) but when 3 days before your white count was .19, the near inverse is worthy of dancing a jig. And no, I didn't dance a jig, but I sure felt like it.
Dr. Wang came to see me, and she was impressed. Not too impressed to cancel the lumbar puncture I had scheduled for that day --she was still worried about my blurry vision-- but impressed enough to tell me that if I still felt well in the morning, I could go home.
The lumbar puncture, this time done in radiology with real live medical equipment and a real doctor, went seamlessly and quickly (and came out negative for lukemia), and I went to bed last night confident I would go home. After meeting with half a dozen people--pharmacist, dr. social worker, master plumber (no, not really a master plumber) I was given my discharge papers and Di drove me home. She had gone into work for a few hours, then zipped up to buffalo to pick me up.
I am not home for good however. Monday I head back to Buffalo for the day, as I have a clinic appointment with Dr. Baer. Bone marrow biopsy. Ugh. Good news is we'll come back that night and I'll be able to stay in bingoland till the 19th. Then I go back to Buffalo and move into a new "off campus" residence. I'll start my second round of chemo on an outpatient basis bright and early the next day.
A note about visitors while I'm home. I would really like to see everyone, but I have a problem. Though my counts are looking good for me, compared to every other healthty person in Broome County I have a sickly and weak immune system which would hospitalize any of the rest of you. So, I really have to limit visitors to family, and even they can't come if they've been exposed to a cold or disease within the last few weeks. It's not something I like, but it's really a matter of life and death. Any infection I get will delay the progress of my chemotherapy, and that's just not worth the risk.
I'd like to thank everyone who visited, sent cards, letters, gifts and emails while I was at Roswell. You have no idea how great this made me feel, and helped to pass the time. All the nurses and doctors really thought I was something special because of all the evidence of friends and family hanging on the wall. And I felt like something special, too. I am grateful and humbled by the response, and I consider all of you true friends for your support during this difficult time. It really means more than you can possibly imagine!
Thanks again for everything.

Matt Kensey