WOULD YOU BELIEVE the UA Wildcats won last night’s game against #2 Oregon? WooHoo boys! It’s enough to make a guy pull his hair out.
Well, both things happened, and here’s your proof.
It seems my hair was about to come out one way or the other, thanks to my good friends here at the UA transplant center. Call it an omen, if you like. Continue reading Zero Hair Day
IT’S DAY SEVEN after the stem cell infusion and the waiting is the hardest part.
I’m not depressed, just fatigued, with a general lack of focus, a sore throat, and poor appetite. Of course they tell me this is precisely what is expected of patients like me.
The treatment process is working. The blood labs show my neutrophil levels have fallen nearly to zero. In another day or so, they will begin a gradual recovery as my bones begin to build a new immune system.
Since I now have very little immune response, the treatments will focus on preventing infections. Masks and hand-washing for most visitors and anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-biotic meds.
Thursday will be much the same, except for a football game Arizona vs. Oregon. Boredom is mounting. I guess that means I’m starting to get better.
© 2014 James Tenser
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!