I just returned from my first air travel since my stem cell transplant in July.

It has been ten weeks since my stem cells were infused back into my body and seven weeks since I returned home.

All of this begs the question:  Should I wear a protective mask in the airport?  How about on the plane?

Those of you who read my column regularly know I normally take an aggressive stance when it comes to what I can and should do now that I’m home.

So far, all has turned out OK.  I began eating out as an outpatient, even before I returned home.  I paid for that a bit when mouth sores appeared, probably caused by glasses or utensils that weren’t clean enough for my fledgling immune system.

I followed this phenomenon closely—glad to learn the sores would heal in a matter of days.  My immune system was working again!

I have gone shopping regularly since returning home.  I am already doing housework—and even some light yard work—using a protective mask and rubber gloves.

So far, so good!

So it might surprise you to learn I decided to use my mask—at least on the airplane—during this trip.

I have received mixed messages when it comes to doing this.  My oncologist’s physician assistant, Rick, reassured me I wouldn’t need to wear a mask by week ten—even on a plane.

“Airplane air circulation has come a long way,” I remember him saying.  “Just stay away from anyone coughing or sneezing.”

My transplant procedure manual, provided by the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Moffitt Cancer Center, ironically begs to differ.  It strongly suggests wearing a mask in an airport and on a plane for at least six months.

I have also read that wearing a mask on a plane is a good idea.  Fellow transplant recipients have certainly suggested the same.

So in this case, I decided to comply and act conservatively.  I wore my mask as I wrote this, flying at 30,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico.

Fortunately, the plane was only half full.  And since there wasn’t anyone sitting next to me (nice!), I probably could have skipped the mask.  I did remove it long enough to eat some peanuts and suck down a cold beverage—non-alcoholic, of course!

Actually, wearing the mask was the easy part. The hard part was as I shook hands and hugged friends and acquaintances I saw on my trip and started thinking about my immature immune system being bombarded by all of those germs. I'll write more about that next week.

Feel good and keep smiling!  Pat