Day +188: Great news!

Finally got the test results we've been waiting for. Mina's engraftment study showed 100% donor cells! This is obviously a huge relief. Not that we had any reason to suspect anything, but you just can't know. Of course, I've already started to worry about the next test two months from now. I don't know if that's inevitable with this kind of disease, but I do know I'm not really going to be able to relax for a long time.

The other big and somewhat unexpected news is that Mina Brigitta's T-cell function test came back normal! T-cells (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11300) are the most important disease-fighting lymphocytes, and we were told that T-cell function might not return for a year or longer after the transplant. We had some indication this might be a possibility because her lymphocyte counts had been increasing the last several weeks, but they were still telling us not to expect anything. Her B-cell (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2413) functions still are pretty minimal, so she's still immunocompromised, but she's not nearly as vulnerable as she was during the summer.

The biggest thing that comes from this is that we don't have to worry about molds nearly so much. Because of the result, they've now lifted many of Mina Brigitta's restrictions. She's been wearing a little paper mask whenever we go out in public all of these months, and now she doesn't have to wear one anymore. She's been so good about it that she gets upset when the mask isn't on right, so there will probably an adjustment period about that. She can go inside stores and restaurants now, and Keri can take her back to the Muir Woods.

And she can eat whatever she wants! She hadn't been able to eat any thin-skinned raw fruits or vegetables (only thick-skinned fruits like melons). She'd been really good about that too -- she asked about raspberries when we first came home from the hospital, and I had to tell her that she couldn't have them just yet. She rationalized it by saying she could have them in the other house, but not in this house. So last night we celebrated by giving her a whole bunch of raspberries in this house. This morning she had more raspberries and some strawberries as well. She understands exactly what's going on, too; she says things like "doctoe say OK eat dis now".

And finally, she gets to go back to the playground now! They'd advised us to keep her away the last month or two after the start of the cold and flu season. She's very excited to go back. Keri had planned to take her today, but they had a clinic appointment this morning ("Say 'hi' to pole house!"), and Mina Brigitta woke up too late from her nap. And she can go to classes with other kids as long as everyone is careful about keeping her away from sick kids. So we're going to try to find a music class that she and Isaac can go to. This will be a big change in Mina Brigitta's, and Isaac's, quality of life.

Halloween was very fun. Keri, Isaac and Mina Brigitta went to Berkeley to see Hedy, the daughter of our friends Robert and Patty, march in a kids' parade. Then they picked up Grandma and Grandpa from the airport, came home and napped briefly, and finished carving our pumpkin. Mina Brigitta wanted a sad pumpkin, so we made her a "waah punkin" with tears coming out of its eyes like the waah babies and waah apples we drew in the pole house.

We went out at about 6:00 to a street in our neighborhood where they have a huge Halloween block party. About three blocks were barricaded off, and there were literally hundreds of people there, mostly families with young kids and everyone very well behaved. There were some quite elaborate displays. Mina Brigitta woke her flower costume, and Isaac was a bumblebee. Mina Brigitta had a blast. She was not shy at all about marching up to every house, holding out her little bag, and then saying "Tank you!". Isaac was tired and fussy, and feel asleep on my shoulder about halfway through. We took lots of pictures, which I hope to have posted by the weekend.