Day +4

The past weekend has been mostly nice. Adrienne and the kids stayed at a friends house here in Amsterdam this weekend and they visited me every day. At times when they enjoyed the playgrounds and were playing in ‘kinderstad’, I took my much needed rest. It is nice that the kids don’t find visiting is boring. My parents also visited on Sunday which was great. I understand that Amsterdam is far away, I am grateful that people happily take the time to travel here.

They started me on the antibiotic ‘amoxicilline’ after they administered my stem cells. I had an allergic reaction to this and my torso and groin developed a rash and started itching. They switched medication on Saturday and the rashes and itchiness have reduced, improving my sleep.
I have officially entered ‘the dip’ today as my immune system is virtually non-existent. Next to the white blood cells, the number of red blood cells and platelets have dropped as well. As a result of the low amount of thrombocytes, I am bleeding more quickly. Everyday activities are extremely exhausting at times. This morning I even had to take a rest in between brushing my teeth and having a shower. Some parts of the day I feel ok, and at others I have tummy ache and today I had to throw up. It seems unpredictable. It is all part of this treatment and I just have to ride it out.