4.89 baby!

We were aiming for 5 million cells collected but ended up just a few shy of that.... it's close enough! I am good to go for transplant!!!


So just in case you want to step into my world for a moment, here is what it is like to harvest stem cells.
Monday-
2 shots of Neupogen, they sting and hurt like hell especially when the nurse isn't being careful.
Blood work needs to be done, that is another stick and I have a bruise from that one.
Over to the hospital to check in and do a bit of surgery. That is an IV and then my port got taken out and a tube stuck in on my left side of my chest. The nurse gave me big warnings on never taping anything on the glue they use to seal the incisions up... and ya know, she taped right over one and it hurt like hell when they had to pull it off later. All my chest muscles are tight, ache and the incisions are sore.


Tuesday and Wednesdy it's cell collection
Each day is 2 neupogen shots, and that makes 12 shots total. I have a lot of band aids.
They hook you up to this super fancy machine that is totally having a bad day and I musyt lay super still to make sure it keeps working. Then you sit for about 6 hours. It's pretty much like going on a car trip with your family, through Kansas, sitting in the middle of the back seat, with your dad driving 55 the entire way and never pulling over. Oh, and the machine doesn't move so when you have to pee, and you will with all the saline they pump into you, they bring in the potty and slide the curtain. I belive a man designed the entire set up.

So we are finally home..... tired, worn out and doing laundry for the next step. Monday we start chemo and then the official transplant is the next monday. Let's get this thing over with.

one more time....

We as headed back to the hospital today for another go at cell collection. I need 5 million and we got 3.5 million give or take few yesterday. It's not a bad process... doesn't hurt, the nurses are nice. But my line is temperamental and when they start to pull the blood out it wants to stay inside me so I get to lay in 1 position for the process, only about 5 hours.

It was pretty neat though to get to hold the bag of cells they collected. it is amazing what science has accomplished.

So we are thinking that we are headed home this afternoon. Depends on the numbers and what I collect. It'll be nice to be back in my own bed and to have a few days of rest before next week starts.

Well... we are in Denver now. Bryan and I drove around yesterday finding restaurants and grocery stores. Our hotel is right across the street from a super target so that is nice for anything we might need or forget. It looks like we'll be staying here for the month of transplant.... it's a Staybridge suites so we have a little living room and a tiny kitchen. Nothing too fancy but at least we have maid service and clean towels.

So today has been super eventful!
Started off with the neupogen shots, two of them, and then they decided they needed more blood. Then we headed to the hospital for the central venous catheter. That required and iv in my hand since they already drew blood at the dr's office, That hurt, still hurts and even the band aid they put on is too sticky and I can't pull it off. Had an amazing group of nurses for the surgery so I did feel I was is good hands. They took out the port and stuck in the cvc..... both sides of my chest ache and are tender. To top off the evening it's back to the dr for another shot which biggest side effect is diaherria. That kicked in right away, thank goodness for immodium! Tomorrow it's off to the hospital at 6:30 to stem cell collection...... go cells go!!! That will be about a 5 hour event and I hope we get enough at one time otherwise I'll have to do it again on Wednesday.

Looks like we'll be home a few days at the end of the week and then back up here on Monday to stay for a month.

Ouch!

Just got home from getting my first neupogen shots, those things hurt! The neupogen boosts cell production and I'll get it for 4 days in a row so I'll have lots of good cells that they can collect to be able to transplant back into me. My dose requires 2 shots, one in each arm. I did stop of at Johnson's Corner for breakfast, I figured a biscuit with gravy is just the thing to give those new cells some strength and stamina.

I guess I see this as an actual forward step in all this. Everything up to now has been prep and testing, but these shots are the starting line. The doc's had their meeting to go over everyones cases today and they all agree we are on the right course of treatment and good to go. So Monday I get a line put into my chest and Tuesday we collect stem cells! I am hopeful they get enough so I don't have to stay another day.

The best part of the day so far.... I found a giant metal chicken! and bought it!! For some reason I love metal yard art, chickens most of all. I saw a really neat rooster downtown Loveland and the store said they order them all the time and it's not a problem to hold onto it for me until I get home in June.

I thought it'd be a good thing to have a place to update people about what is going on with me during this journey and to just have a record for myself. So... welcome!

So far this week I have signed all the consents and permission forms for the stem cell transplant. There are a lot of side effects they want to make sure they scare you about and then there are all the what ifs that can go wrong. I also have a calendar that is up to date.
Tuesday we all went to caregiver class. Learned all about what a transplant is, some things to expect and lots of rules we need to follow. the foods I can and can't have are very specific... nothing homemade from someone else, well cooked meats, no buffets, take out salads or deli foods, just super, super careful. I can have limited visitors for a week or so before they kill my immune system, no flowers or plants and no animals.
On Friday I start getting the neupogen shots to boost my cell production. Monday the 26th I get a new line placed in my chest and a mozobil shot then Tuesday the 27th I start collecting stem cells!!