Lazy Weekend...

The marrow donation on Friday left me feeling physically drained. The procedure only took about five hours and although I can't describe it as comfortable, it wasn't nearly as painful as I feared. The sound of the machine and the pulsing sensation of my blood being returned to my body was the most disconcerting, but even those feelings were tolerable. In a stroke of irony, I was listening to the St. Jude's Hospital radio-thon throughout the donation. Hearing the stories of families with children who are battling for their lives certainly helped to keep my minor side effects in perspective!

After a week of preparation and a few hours, the entire process was over. I came home exhausted, depleted and strangely exhilarated. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that I was able to help somebody. Scott came home from work and was ready to assume his duties as primary caretaker for the weekend.

My weekend was spent alternating between napping in bed and falling asleep in my rocker by the fireplace. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. I finally decided to give up and surrendered to the fatigue. As unnatural as it felt to lounge and do nothing, staying quiet was the best thing for my body to rebuild itself.

Thankfully Scott was adequately prepared for my weekend of lazing around. The fridge was stocked and all of the laundry was clean. I tried to make my anticipated weakness as unobtrusive as possible.

Knowing that I wasn't going to be able to play as much, I surprised Robby with a new XBox game. While I'm not a proponent of video games for babysitting purposes, the dreary weather coupled with my limitations while recovering created a perfect environment for gaming. Everybody was happy because I was able to rest and Robby was allowed to play for several hours a day. He proudly told anybody who would listen that he was playing the full version of Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, not the demo version!

I am still tired, but I can feel my strength beginning to return. I suspect that within a few days the entire experience will be nothing more than a memory. Despite the inconveniences, I have no regrets about my decision to donate bone marrow. If asked I would gladly do it again!