It's been one of those 'Good New, Bad News' weeks over the last week or so. After my last visit 2 weeks ago I started noticing a small rash on my right forearm. It looked pretty harmless but over the course of the following seven days it had developed into a total body rash with some very prickly heat sensations. Furthermore I noticed that my weight had increase to 79kg, an increase of 4kg over my normal body weight.

We went in on Friday last week to hospital for an emergency appointment. The doctor seemed to think that it was a delayed reaction to the sun. Although the symptoms were akin to a chronic GVHD, the fact that I had been in the sun however short the duration pointed the suspicion to a reaction from the sun. I had been quite concerned that it was the GVHD manifesting itself in the more difficult to treat chronic form, so I was preparing myself for some bad news. The only confusing thing was the water retention which was clearly visible. Armed with a fresh prescription for topical steroids and some soothing bath additives for dry and itch skin, Mum and I headed back home.

Miraculously within three days everything had returned back to normal. The only remaining sign was the peeling skin. What we didn't appreciate after leaving hospital was the sensitivity of the skin. We were warned the I should be careful when going outside under the sun, but until the doctor told us that I shouldn't venture outside in the sun for the next two years without smothering my self in sun block we didn't realise how careful I should really be.

As a precaution I booked myself in for the following week so the doctors could assess my condition then. In fact by the time I returned everything was back to normal. Today's appointment was my first in the newly opened purpose built Leukaemia building. This building actually looks like a hospital unit should. It's modern spacious and clean, which is in marked contrast to the cramped conditions of the previous location.

In between taking the blood and the consultation, I paid a visit to the radiology department which is right next to the new building to say hi to the guys that gave me my radiotherapy. They've probably got the least stressful jobs in the hospital there so we had plenty of time to chat.

The goods news was that my bloods had registered their best results to date since the transplant, with notable increases in all areas. Especially pleasing was the first real increase that I've had with the haemoglobin since the transplant. It rose by over a whole point, which probably also explained why I was able to play so much squash a few days before. As things were going pretty well my cyclosporine was reduced even further down to only 25mg once a day. At this rate, if all goes to plan, then by the next appointment in four weeks time, I should be off the cyclosporine altogether. That would be another milestone as it would mean that I would be totally powered by the new bone marrow without any immuno-suppressants to prevent the new immune system attacking mine. That's when I could start thinking of doing the remaining things that I still don't do like mixing more with people and going into more crowed places like supermarkets. We'll have to wait until 1st August before knowing for sure what happens.