Lessons Learned

Last night we had a great seafood dinner out in Federal Hill and a stroll around the Inner Harbor. It felt (almost) as if we'd gotten away from all of this. But today we're back at the Hospital for more tests and consults.  Here is what we're learning:
1) Andrew's "mini" transplant will be hard on him, but not as debilitating one might expect.  God willing, he'll be back "home" (to temp housing) within hours of receiving Ross's stem cells.  Wow!
2) The outpatient clinic where AJ will check in each day for chemo, blood, meds, etc. is rather underwhelming. Tight quarters and limited amenities.
2.5) The long term patient housing is great. We can't get in to see it this trip, but we've heard great things from other patients.
3) There is an exercise room with a stationary bike for AJ to use in isolation after the transplant. They encourage exercise for both patient and caregiver and make it easy to be active.
4) The hospital is COLD! I know germs like hot and moist environments, but so do I!
5) Expect boredom. In fact, we have that now as we wait for these various appointments and try to work in these stretches from chairs in the lobby.
6) Our schedule is set!  The whole transplant process begins for us on Monday September 10th, which is when we'll temporarily move to Baltimore.
That's all for now. I'll let AJ weigh in all of this after we meet with the doctors this afternoon.