Preface: The circumstances were somewhat out of my control, and I have officially been cleared by my Oncologist to travel again.
Without intention, it appears that I had the occasion to take my new immune system out for a test drive. I wasn’t really looking to see if I was ready yet to handle a cold, but it happened nonetheless and the results are interesting.
I’ve been spending the last few months since my stem cell transplant trying as hard as I could to avoid getting sick (cold, flu, URI, etc.). I didn’t go out/nobody came in; masks, wipes, hand-sanitizer, fist-bumps; kissing/hugging moratorium – all of the necessary precautions. Granted, my life was never in danger, but even a minor fever could have landed me back in the hospital for IV meds and such – and thank-you-very-much, but I’ve done enough time in germ jail for the foreseeable future.
But as the old saying goes, “Sick happens.” I’m on antibiotics. I’m supplementing them with OTC remedies. And like most normal humans, my immune system and I seem to be fighting the good fight. So as I see it, my new immune system is responding well – though admittedly still in the ongoing developmental stages. The test wasn’t planned (no truly effective pop quiz is ever pre-announced) but the results are legit.
So objectively I think I’m getting better. But let’s remember that I’m the same guy who has convinced myself that I have cancer and am getting better – so a cold should be an emotional/psychological piece of cake.
