Testing Days

It has been a wild two days. I can’t tell you how many doctors and tests I have had done, but things are looking good. I have learned these test are more of a “base line” then a pass/fail kind of thing. They will use this info to determine how things are going as we go through the transplant. This is not to say the doc’s are not looking closely for any “signs” to say this is not the right time to start. The most interesting news is that we finally a true hospital admin date, Feb 7^th. I really will not have treatment on that first day. I will be getting my new 3 loom catheter put into my chest (to help with all he meds and blood draws) . This guy is really going to be my friend as I can expect to keep him for about 4 months.  Right now I am recovering from another bone marrow extract and collecting all my urine for 24 hours (not sure what they are testing with all that), so it is going to be a slow weekend. I will return to Mayo on Wednesday for more tests. It seems like we have been at this for some time now, but I can finally say that I see the STARTING line, and we are revved up to go. Let’s just hope the finish line goes quick. 

The Next Step…

Today’s appointment with Doc H. showed that the 2 rounds of ICE Chemo treatment did the job and it is time to move into the transplant process.   Now things start to move fast.  I will be spending all day Thursday meeting with doctors over at Mayo to get their OK to proceeded.  I need to get the approval from each department/doctor to confirm that I am ready and capable to have the transplant.  Here is a short list of some of the departments I have to get clearance from, to give you an idea of who is OK-ing things (Radiology , Vascular Surgery, Bone Marrow, Cardiology, Pulmonary Testing,  Cardiology Echocardiogram, Hematology Oncology, AIC Unit, Otorhinolaryngology, Infectious Disease).  Then, on Friday, I meet a battery of counselors and social workers, to make sure we are prepared for the next few months.  Finally, we with meet with Doc S to finalize the plan for the next 100+ days.  Right now, we have a tentative date of Feb 8^th for admission to Mayo hospital for the transplant.  Once admitted, we will begin a new chemo attack to “wipe out” my immune system in preparation for the transplant.  The exact date of the transplant has not yet been set but it will follow this chemo treatment. Once the transplant happens, I should expect another 5 to 6 weeks in the hospital to keep things under control- dealing with germs & stuff and giving my body time to grow a new immune system (and a new blood type).  So, it’s time for the next step.  It is all a bit exciting (and scary) to know this is all gonna really happen AND SOON!