The Next Step

Here in NJ, we're having yet another Nor'easter. It's not so bad as far as those storms go. It doesn't matter to me today, though. I have the day off. No tests, no needles, no hospitals. Nope, none for me today.

The stem cell harvest is complete. Took a little longer than planned, 5 days. You'd think being plopped in a recliner chair or 6 hours a day would be my perfect job, but it's not as fun when you can't move a muscle for those hours.

The perma-cath that had been placed became infected. I spent a week in Jersey Shore University Hospital while the team there fought the infection. I had no immune system as a result of the previous week's chemotherapy, so they were giving me Neupogen injections and IV antibiotics. The plan didn't work, so the catheter was taken out. This required the harvest to be done with a needle in each arm. The needle drawing the blood out was a large one, requiring me to sit as still as possible. Boring!

But I survived somehow. We really need to work on the quality of daytime television though. Will talk about that at another time though.

But now everything has been resolved and everything is in place for the stem cell transplant. I will hang out at home until Sunday morning. Then I will be heading up to Hackensack University Hospital. I'll get everything in order up there and then wait until Monday morning to start the stem cell transplant process. First they'll place the PICC line, then I'll get a dose of Melphalan. That should clean out as much Myeloma as possible, along with the bone marrow. I should also finish losing the rest of my hair. That's been coming out in a rather unusual pattern that's not the most stylish, bad enough that I've not even wanted to post any pictures. That's bad.

I hear Melphalan does the job, but I hear it beats you up pretty good, too. We'll see I guess.