Last Day at Home before Transplant

Today I got my bone marrow results back, so I decided to post again. It showed I am still in remission Praise the Lord!!! I am ready to go for the transplant! My shingles feel a little better this evening. I took some pain medicine last night and was able to sleep better. I also used some Benadryl. It wasn't my best night's sleep but it was sure better than the night before.

I realized last night that each time I went in for chemo before, I felt pretty good going in. I was eating well, my strength was improved and my stamina was pretty good. After coming home from the chemo I was weaker, lighter and not feeling quite as good. This time I am going in sore with the shingles, weaker than before and with not quite as good of an appetite as normal. So it fits that I should come out feeling better, stronger and with a good appetite (right!!)!

I had labs today and they showed my kidneys were better so I restarted the antibiotic again today. They will probably change antibiotics once I get in the hospital tomorrow.

I get labs drawn tomorrow when I first get there at about noon. After that, I report to x-ray and they will take out my current Hickman catheter(an IV) and replace it with a new one. This is to be sure there is no infection in this one since I have had it in since December 3rd! After that, I get admitted to the transplant unit. They start my five days of chemotherapy tomorrow. I am not sure what to expect. They say it might be easier than my previous chemo. However I also get medications to wipe out my immune system and they can cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and weakness. Hopefully, I won't have too much of that. I get the sixth day off, which is April 1st. Hopefully that is not just an April Fools' joke. Then if all is going well, I get the transplant on Wednesday, April 2nd. How long I stay in the hospital is dependent on whether I get any new infections and/or have any other problems. They expect I will have some transfusions during that time as needed. I will be ready to go home 2-3 weeks after the transplant if all goes well.

I will write some more on the blog tomorrow and will try to update it daily. My transplant and the recovery afterward are now in God's hands. It appears that He thinks now is the time. I will do what I can do and God will do the rest. I appreciate your prayers and would like to have them this week for the chemo and next week for the transplant. I know that they help and make a big difference. In the meantime, I hope God blesses you as He blesses me!

Doc