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The stem cells are in the house and will be ready for transplant at 1:15 CST. And all God's People said "Amen".

0 Days To Transplant

This is the Day. I can't help but be reminded of the powerful parallel of someone unselfishly giving his blood for me, for me to have a chance to live longer, for most certainly without this I would not survive.
It is, at the same time, both gift to be relished for this one act, as well as something of a duty to return thanks for that gift by cherishing the extended life and relationships that I will continue to have. For this too is a day that the Lord has made.  May ya'll rejoice with me and be glad in it. We'll keep you posted as things progress.

T- Minus - 1 To Transplant

Today went better than yesterday. I did not have any reactions to the treatments today. The appetite is still shot, and even the smell of the food cart makes me nauseous. I have been getting some exercise. The family was here and that really helps pass the time. The only thing on the agenda for tomorrow is the transplant and now for tonight.......

     
The Day is Done

THE DAY is done, and the darkness   
  Falls from the wings of Night,   
As a feather is wafted downward   
  From an eagle in his flight.   
   
I see the lights of the village           
  Gleam through the rain and the mist,   
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me   
  That my soul cannot resist:   
   
A feeling of sadness and longing,   
  That is not akin to pain,    
And resembles sorrow only   
  As the mist resembles the rain.   
   
Come, read to me some poem,   
  Some simple and heartfelt lay,   
That shall soothe this restless feeling,   
  And banish the thoughts of day.   
   
Not from the grand old masters,   
  Not from the bards sublime,   
Whose distant footsteps echo   
  Through the corridors of Time.  
   
For, like strains of martial music,   
  Their mighty thoughts suggest   
Life's endless toil and endeavor;   
  And to-night I long for rest.   
   
Read from some humbler poet,    
  Whose songs gushed from his heart,   
As showers from the clouds of summer,   
  Or tears from the eyelids start;   
   
Who, through long days of labor,   
  And nights devoid of ease,    
Still heard in his soul the music   
  Of wonderful melodies.   
   
Such songs have power to quiet   
  The restless pulse of care,   
And come like the benediction   
  That follows after prayer.   
   
Then read from the treasured volume   
  The poem of thy choice,   
And lend to the rhyme of the poet   
  The beauty of thy voice.   
   
And the night shall be filled with music,   
  And the cares, that infest the day,   
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,   
  And as silently steal away. 

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

                

T - Minus - 2 Count Down To Transplant

Today was not a good day either. I had 2 reactions to my treatment. The first was extreme soreness in the buttocks and hips down to the calves. So they had to stop for awhile and give me more Benadryl. The second reaction came later towards the end of the infusion of Antithymocyte Globulin (ATG). My temp started to rise and it went up to 102.7. Some more trusty hydrocortisone and 5 hours later things were back to normal. (I'm going to have to rethink that word normal.) Appetite is still gone. And I also tested positive for Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). That means another level of isolation. Tomorrow I have a repeat of the ATG. Oh joy!

T - Minus 3 The Count Down To Transplant

                Grace For Chemo Patients
              
           When nausea comes 'round,
           And lunch hits the ground.

           God is great. Zofran is good,
           With their help, I can eat my food.    (Zofran is used to control nausea associated with chemo. )


   
       Monday was not a good day. The nausea was constant and the meds to help with the nausea had benedryl or antihistamine in them and I get restless leg syndrome from that and I get very drowsy  as well but can't sleep because of side effects. Just not a good day.                                                             

T - Minus 3 Count Down To Transplant

So the last part of yesterday's post had another version. It went like this ZZZZZ  PPPPP  ZZZZZ  PPPPP........

T - Minus 4 Count Down To Transplant

The infusion pump has not stopped once since I have come in. Keeping me hydrated is important for the infusions of chemo and to help flush it out as well. At least once an hour all day and all night it means a trip to the restroom and everything has to be measured for intake and output. It makes it hard to get a good restful sleep. It is 10:00 am and they have finished the chemo for today and tomorrow more of the same, fludarabine and bendamustine. As my mind wanders I get to wondering what effect, all the chemo that is being flushed through this hospital waste system, has on the water treatment system and the water system. I can only imagine.

I am beginning to feel some of the side effects, mainly chemo fog. So it's time to get some exercise  while I feel like it. I have also some nasal drainage and the concern has to do with maybe cold symptoms. So for now I will be on an antihistamine since it could be allergies since spring has sprung. the other possibility is that the chemo also affects the mucous  membranes. The tight rope balancing act begins, adjusting as we go along.

Lynne and I took a nice walk through the gardens today and then watched a couple of basketball games. Then it was time for her to go home. By 8 I'm in bed for the night. ZZZZZ Bathroom ZZZZZ Bathroom ZZZZZ Bathroom .........all night long.