A Very Long Year

As I write this, I am on board a jetBlue flight from Chicago to New York. I just spent four days at a meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, held at the Hyatt Regency.

About 14 months ago, I was also on a jetBlue flight from Chicago, having just taken my orthopaedic surgery board exam at that very same Hyatt hotel. It was while sitting on that flight home last year that I ran my fingers through my hair and noticed a walnut-sized lump on my neck.

That lump turned out to be a big deal, to say the least, and the next year played out very differently than I had planned.

The last time I wrote an update here was when I was at Day 100 following the transplant. At that time, I celebrated the slow incremental improvements, but still lamented just how slow and incremental they were.

Well, I'm here to tell you that things have really turned around...

Indeed, over the last six weeks or so, my recovery has accelerated tremendously. My energy level is now about 90% of normal... Not only am I strong enough to get through the day without napping, but well enough to go to the gym, ride my bike seven miles, go see the U.S. Open, and even take a four-day trip to Chicago on my own.

In the eating department, my appetite is basically normal now (not as voracious as it once was, back in the day, but hey, I'm not a young boy anymore...). Every now and then I'll have some nausea or an upset stomach, but in general I eat pretty normally. Taste is normalizing too. I can taste just about everything correctly now, and I'm no longer super-sensitive to acidic and spicy things. Indeed, just as I had guessed, it seems that my recovery is trailing a few months behind that of Grant Achatz... Alas, most of the dietary restrictions still remain: still no uncooked or undercooked foods, though I am now allowed to eat salads and fruits, if we wash them at home ourselves. I've gained about 10 lbs. since my low-point, which puts me back in a nice normal range, although a bit lower than where I started (I'm fine with that!)

I'm strong enough overall that I am starting to think about when I may be able to go back to work. In an ideal world, I would go right back to my hand surgery fellowship in Pittsburgh. In real life though, my position was for 2007-2008, and given how far in advance these things are given out, the spots are now full for the next two years. My fellowship staff have been incredibly supportive of me during the past year, and we are very much working together right now to see if there's some way for me to get approval to squeeze in.

The trip to Chicago was fun. I got to see lots of new research in the field, and hear lectures by the leaders in hand surgery. Every time I go to one of these meetings I come back excited and energized about my work. This time, that feeling was especially poignant as I'm excited to go back to work.

Oh, and two other good things about this trip to Chicago: I ate a ton of deep dish pizza, and I didn't find any lumps on the flight back.

--

This week marks the 6-month point since my transplant. On Monday I have a set of CT and PET scans, and on Thursday I have a bone marrow biopsy and a visit with Dr. P. I'm less anxious about these scans than about the ones I had at the 3-month point--time spent feeling well definitely boosts my confidence--but nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the day when I'll really stop worrying.

Comments

[Alissa Elliott]

Ah, now I see what you were working on so secretly yesterday. This was a nice surprise in my RSS feed this morning!

[Paul]

So very glad to hear that things are normalizing. I am willing to bet that you have a much different perspective on being a patient than any of your fellow handy men. LOL. Get it Handy. So I am still draining all the mental water from our most recent hurricane. But seriously you have had a long hard recovery. And I think that absolutley differentiates you as a fellowship candidate. Of course I am biased. Please continue to keep up us all in the loop.

[Tom Kraikit]

Woohooo!!!!! So glad to get your update, and even more glad that things are positive :-)

[Andre Ramos]

Sam,
Your journey to Chicago and back are a relief to read and an uplifting news flash. It's great to hear you're gaining weight too! I can't wait to hear about your reentry to the 80 hour work week fellowship. FUN TIMES!

[Arian]

Sam, just wonderful news. Am so glad to hear you almost 100% Hope to see you soon.. maybe a high tea in Nyc?

[Shawn]

Yeah, Sam, this is really terrific to hear. Got to "hand" it to you. Wow, such a stupid pun that even I considered not posting it.

[Jim]

Sam,

You don't know me, but I'm a friend of a friend of yours... Augustine Kim. I was reading through some old emails back and forth I'd had with him about a party he attended with you in January, and it's fantastic to hear that you're doing so much better. I'm not sure if you heard or not, but Augustine passed away two weeks ago... he had a heart attack while playing basketball, the morning after your post here. He really would have been incredibly happy to know you were feeling that much better. Congratulations.

[Noriko]

Hey Sam! It's so great to hear that you are feeling better. I hope things work out with your fellowship. Please let me know next time you're coming down to the Burgh!