• My new best friend • Today I received all my blood work results, something I will have to do weekly for at least the next few months. Before my chemo treatment I was doing blood work once a month, this is to test my anti-rejection medication levels, potassium, magnesium, platelets, etc. everything to make sure everything is in check. Now, we added checking my CD4 level weekly. The CD4 level checks how many T cells your body has, T cells are the cells that attack any viruses, bacteria, or everyday germs. Normal levels are between 500-1500. My recent levels came back at 17. This is because of the chemo, it completely wiped out these fighter cells so that they stop fighting my lungs. However, it also means any germ I touch on an elevator button, shopping cart handle, etc could potentially bring me down. So, I bathe in hand sanitizer and wear a mask whenever I go out. It could take up to a year to get my T cells back to a normal level, but as long as my body stops rejecting these amazing lungs, I’m a-okay with that. This is transplant life. ♻️ #thankyoudre #fightingforus #doublelungtransplant #masklife #imnotsickyouare #cysticfibrosis #byerejection #germs