Superstition

I'm probably overdue for an update.  Not that I've ever considered myself superstitious but it seems a rather fragile place I'm in right now and for the next week or two so I didn't want to jinx anything.  My blood counts have been low as to be expected, relatively no white blood cells the last few days and until my new cells engraft I wont be having any ... maybe another week ... maybe two.  As you can imagine until I can make my own white blood cells an infection could be a big problem for me.  Not only that if there was some damage to my body I wouldn't be able to repair it.  Thats where the mouth problems come in.  Most people have problems with their mouth during this process ... big problems and have to live with this until their body is able to heal itself weeks down the road.  While painful and limiting how much you eat if any and drink it can be a cause for infection.  That is one of my biggest concerns right now is having my mouth turn on me.  The docotors and nurses seemed to indicate it was a matter of when not if this would happen after the 'intense' conditioning regimen I went through prior to transplant.  Well so far so good at day +4.  The way I understand its a 5 part formula with 1 part hygiene and 4 parts luck so keep those positive vibes coming and I'll take care of the hygiene ;)  I've also been watching what I eat so I don't score it and how much I talk which for me can be a challenge.  Anyway thats the biggest thing thats been on my mind and the center of my OCD.

-Things going well up to now found my lock down routine and sticking with it.
-Still riding the bike and working out 2-3x a day which has some people pleasantly surprised.
-Spending time reading in the late morning/afternoon.
-Frequent mouth rinsing with the sodium bicarb solution at least every couple hours.  After meals and sugary drinks for sure and force myself up a few times through the night which I think makes a big difference.
-Honey on cereal every morning and in tea ... I've convinced myself it helps my mouth and may be my secret weapon ... probably dumb luck more than anything but hey I'm going with it.
-frequent hand washing before and after meals for sure.
-Still have all my hair ... I was going to shave it since there is a high probability I'll loose it anyway but I'm curious and taking the wait and see approach now ... although that is the least of my concerns.
-All in all pretty uneventful and hoping it continues this way :)