Update from John: "One Week Out"

It’s been exactly one week since the transplant. And I think this would be a good time to list some of the changes that Dawn has experienced so far. Please keep in mind that the majority of the changes should occur in the 4 to 6-week post-treatment time window. But we were told she’d experience little “victories” along the way. Here’s what we’ve experienced thus far:

• LOSS OF FATIGUE: Pre-treatment… Dawn was waking up exhausted. Period. And it was hard to watch her try and have a somewhat normal day when she started out completely wiped from the moment she opened her eyes. For the most part… the fatigue is gone.

• HAND & FINGER MOTOR SKILLS/FUNCTIONALITY: It was getting to the point where typing and using the phone was becoming a problem. Especially with her left hand. She is now experiencing much better functionality and accuracy.

• FUNCTIONALITY OF THE LEFT FOOT: Pre-treatment Dawn was unable to lift her left foot off the ground. She basically swung/dragged her left foot in order to get it to where it needed to be. She can now lift it. And most exciting of all… she can actually tap her left foot. We are still trying to decide if this is due to the actual treatment or the new Lady Ga Ga single!

• INCREASED POWER IN HER THIGHS & KNEES: Dawn is now able to do her version of a “squat” – which is basically her going from the standing position and bending her knees and going down into a squat-like position and then coming back up. Pre-treatment she couldn’t do even one of these. Her new record is 7 sets of 12. For the mathematically-challenged…. That’s 84!

• THE ABSENCE OF NERVE PAIN: This is one that is hard for those of us not going thru this to understand. But Dawn has been living with a constant “burning-and-tingling” sensation mostly in her legs that was quite uncomfortable and quite constant. That is now gone. This nerve pain also caused spasms in her legs and feet. This has also subsided. One more issue that is also gone is the cold/freezing sensation associated with this kind of nerve pain.

• THE ABSENCE OF NUMBNESS: Dawn felt a general numbness from her knees to her toes. This was a daily occurrence. That is also mostly gone.

So for those keeping track, or possibly experiencing these same symptoms, it’s important that we chronicle these improvements.

Little “victories” indeed!