Lifesavers for Latasha

The past month has been my best one so far!

I haven’t vomited since the beginning of April. I have had a few times where I have felt sick and had to go lie down for a while, but no vomiting, which has been great.

Chris got a new job, so we moved from Ohio to Florida in March. Chris had to do all the packing by himself, since I was sick a lot in March. My younger sister came to Ohio and helped clean the house. Chris had to drive a UHaul down to Florida, and, since I was sick during that time, my sister drove me down.

We found a house that we love and bought it. It has a beautiful kitchen, so I’ve been excited about cooking and baking. Chris has busted his butt with all the packing, cleaning, unpacking, and starting a new job. My parents and my younger sister, her husband, and their children helped us unpack, so we’ve gotten pretty much everything unpacked and the house in order in record time. Both of us have family nearby, so it’s nice being closer to them.

My older sister, my mom, and I all have birthdays in April, so Chris and I hosted a triple birthday party. I made all the food for it. Chris asked me how I felt afterwards, and it was the first time I really felt a difference. Prior to the transplant, if I had done that much standing and spent that much time cooking and baking like that, I would’ve been exhausted and swollen for days. I would’ve had to lie in bed for several days to gain some energy back. After the birthday party, I was tired and did have to lie down, but it was for one day. I didn’t have any swelling. It was great!

I’ve been cooking dinners again, and I’m trying to do more baking by baking a dessert of the week. I’ve also been reading a lot more again, which has been nice. I’ve been wearing makeup again. I feel much more like my normal self, but it’s definitely a new normal, too. I’ve had a lot more energy. I’ve been able to go grocery shopping and come home and put away all the groceries. Plus, I still have energy to do some laundry and cook dinner. It’s very new to me to feel like this, and I absolutely love it!

It’s also bittersweet, because I wonder what I would have accomplished if I had always felt like this in the past instead of dealing with all my health issues. I know I shouldn’t dwell on that thought, though.

As for medications, my blood work last month showed my Tacro levels were low, so my doctor increased my dosage again. So far, I haven’t felt sick or anything, and I’m hoping it stays that way. Next week, I have to have labs done again, so we’ll see how my levels are doing then. My next appointments at Cleveland Clinic are in July. Chris and I are planning on flying up instead of driving.

I still haven’t heard anything from my donor’s family. I’ve decided I’m going to write one more letter and see if I hear anything back. I think about my donor every day, multiple times a day, and would love to know what kind of person he or she was, so I hope the family will reply.

I am hoping the past month has been a turning point and things continue as they are. It’s hard to believe my second anniversary of my transplant is in two months! I’m looking forward to rereading my previous posts to see just how far I have come in the last two years.

Until then, I’ll leave you with my current mantras: Be thankful for every breath and Glow through what you go through. I tell these to myself every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I hope you all have a great day! Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement over the last several months!!

Here are some photos of me and Chris over the past couple of months!