I GOT MY PROPERTY BACK TODAY. That’s right folks, half my frozen stem cells were put back in circulation this afternoon. A fascinating process that involved liquid nitrogen, a water bath, my new pal the IV tower, and my old pals the danglers.
This is day 0 in the transplant sequence, since yesterday was day -1. The nurses who handled the entire procedure wrote “Happy Birthday” on the white board opposite my bed, since it is truly the moment of birth for my new, improved immune system.
SO IT BEGINS. I’m here at UAMC for day -1 of my autologous stem cell transplant.
Today I received my dose of melphalan, the chemo drug that essentially erases my immune system and most remaining cancer cells by attacking all fast-dividing cells. There will be some side effects, but nothing I can’t handle.
I have a new friend — an I.V. tower on wheels that is connected to my CVC catheter at all times. Mostly it is used to keep me hydrated, so there’s a bag of saline hanging all the time. It was also used to deliver the chemo dose. So far I feel OK with just a brief bout of nausea. After a couple of pills to counter that, I’m doing fine and even had an appetite for supper. Continue reading And Awayyy We Go!
IRREVERENT AS IT MAY SEEM, after 15 months of diagnostics and 10 months of chemo treatments for Myeloma I’ve invented a new parlor game for my own amusement.
I call it “SoS” and it’s about guessing the underlying causes of a host of consequences I have experienced since my Myeloma saga began. Symptom? Side-Effect? Sometimes it’s not easy to tell. What follows may seem a little sardonic, but please trust me, none of these issues have been more than I (or anyone) can tolerate. They can also be a little funny at times (at least to me): Continue reading SoS: Symptom or Side-Effect?
SOME ASPECTS of the Myeloma patient experience are so odd or new that they merit sharing.
So it is with The Danglers.
My brand-new Central Venous Catheter was just implanted in my upper chest yesterday (Friday, Sept. 12). It connects to my superior vena cava, a major vein close to the heart. It will be used to administer medicines and withdraw and deliver blood and cells for my autologous stem cell transplant.
The “installation” was an outpatient surgical procedure at the University of Arizona Medical Center. It took about an hour. I was awake with just a little sedation, but I think I remember pretty much the whole process.