Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Bone Marrow Transplant now Scheduled

Did not realize it had been so long since my last posting. 

I have been very busy working for H&R Block this tax season as well as getting my chemo shots and having a series of tests run.

Finally, yesterday I got the news that I have been waiting for, it seems like forever.

Transplant is Scheduled.   I enter the OU Hospital on June 2 and start receiving heavy doses of Chemo for two days, starting the day I enter the hospital.   Then I get what they describe as a "day of rest" with no procedures planned.  (I think I will be busy being ill from the chemo, but they didn't say that.  LOL)

June 5 - I get my stem cells back.    - That is the day I start getting better.

I have been told to expect a hospital stay of 3 to 4 weeks in isolation.   I can have my computer with me but there is no internet provided by the hospital.   Between now and then I will come up with a solution to that so I will not be cut off from the world.   I have to be able to have my email, Skype, and internet.   I also plan to have my cell phone with me.  Don't know if there is phone in the room but feel certain there will be. 

Before I enter the hospital I have a lot of medical to get taken care of.

My medical schedule between now and transplant:
April 25 - Bone Marrow biopsy. 
May 6 - CT on my lung to make sure that what they saw a few months back is really benign scaring (just a final check to be sure before the transplant)
May 15 - Get results on the CT. 
May 20 - See oncologist and also sign medical consents, etc.
May 22 - Have port/line put into my chest (used to harvest stem sells and for any IV's so I don't have to be stuck so much)
May 23-May 29 - Take shots at home (have to give them to myself or talk Keith into giving them to me) to make more stem cells in my blood.  Have to take it every day.
May 27-May 30 - Blood collection (They will run my blood through a machine that will separate out the stem cells and keep them and then give me back my blood, much like dialysis works).
June 2 - Admission to hospital and start chemo.
June 3 - Chemo
June 4 - Rest
June 5 - Get Stem Cells Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never been so excited about knowing I will probably be very, very ill.   But I can't keep from smiling.  I have been working toward this since August when I was diagnosed.   That's almost a year.

And the prognosis is wonderful.