I just celebrated my three year anniversary of my BMT. A lot has happened since the transplant. From the high doses of prednisone, a part of the treatment used to kill the leukemia, I got a new horrible disease called osteonecrosis and avascular necrosis. AVN depletes the oxygen supply to the bones, mainly around the joints, this causes the bone to die. As a result of the bone death, the bone cannot sustain the pressure put on the joints and they collapse. This causes extreme pain (it is recognized as the second most painful illness [after osteosarcoma]) and the only remedy is to replace the joint. I have already replaced my right hip, left shoulder and have had numerous surgeries on my knee and back. I will be getting a new left hip in the next few weeks. After I recover from that, they will replace the right shoulder and my left elbow is quite painful and limiting. Both of knees will eventually need some work. All of this has been very difficult, both physically and emotionally.
Adding on to the emotional toil, my love, Sara, has left me.
I am hoping that no one that used to read this blog will look at this because I am basically going to use it as a journal/bitch fest.
JJ
