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12 Oct |
The reality of it all Edie, Treatments
Comments (1) |
Well, here it is one day before “Day 0″ (the transplant), and the reality of all this is finally settling in. I know I’ve been preparing for this day for several months, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with the next two weeks, making dinner for Sylvia and myself every night, the thought of not being able to share a good bottle of wine with Edie, and sleeping in that great big bed alone.
Oh well, at least the City of Hope makes it very comfortable for the transplant patients. The rooms are nice size and private, and even have a DSL connection for accessing the internet.
But no one will ever mistake this ordeal for a vacation, as evidenced by the numerous drugs and monitoring devices attached to Edie (not sure what the flashlight is for though), and the ordeal visitors have to go through.
Before entering the room, everyone (doctors, nursers, technicians, and the catering staff included) has to wash their hands, and put on latex gloves, and this very uncomfortable face mask. And so you don’t forget, there’s a sink, gloves and face masks at the entrance to each and every room.
I know there’s good reason for all the precautions, which should become more evident in the next couple of days, as the Melphalan does its dirty work, and after the transplant, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.
So if you were planning on a visit, I would recommend against it. While I’m sure Edie would appreciate seeing everyone, she would probably feel worse knowing how uncomfortable you’d be.
Calling, emailing or instant messaging are much better options.
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9 Oct |
The last supper Edie, Treatments, Wine
Comments (2) |
Well there’s no turning back now. The City of Hope called, and Edie is scheduled for an 11:30 AM check in tomorrow. So tonight was time for a special dinner.
We stayed home, and I cooked the perfect medium rare filet mignon, with rice and broccoli, accompanied by a 2005 Hartford Court, Sevens Bench Pinot Noir, and boy was it good.
Not only did I cook the steak to a perfect medium rare, but the wine was one of the better Pinot Noir’s we’ve drank recently. It was a full bodied Pinot, exhibiting a good balance of fruit, tannins and acidity, and with good texture without the high alcohol taste that seems so prevelant in the wines being produced now a days.
Of course, not even the perfect meal, and bottle of wine, can change the reality of the next two or possibley three weeks. They’re not going to be a lot of fun.
Saturday and Sunday, Edie receives high dose melphalan (reduced slightly due to a slightly impaired kidney function), to destroy the old immune system, followed by the transplant on Monday.
Then comes the hard part, waiting for the new immune system to take effect.
I know I’ve been preparing myself for this moment for quite awhile, but that doesn’t make it any easier, especially when you know there isn’t anything you can do effect the outcome.
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9 Oct |
Even the medical profession is slow Cycling, Day to Day Life, General Health, Treatments
Comments (2) |
It must be. Why else would the hand specialist be so ready to operate on my hand to correct my Dupuytren’s Contraction?
That sure wasn’t the response I was expecting when I went for my appointment with the hand specialist yesterday. I thought I would go in, and the doctor would look at my hand, and say it wasn’t that bad, and I should just keep an eye on it making sure it doesn’t get any worse, and then come back in a couple of months for a follow up.
Needless to say, I was caught completely off guard. I really wasn’t ready for this. I had heard horror stories about the pain associated with the operation, and proceeding would obviously put a crimp in my cycling. I was hoping he would propose the use of injectable collagenese. That I would have gone for.
But no, the doctor indicated injectable collagenese hasn’t been approved for use just yet. BUMMER!
So now I have to make a decision. Do I or don’t I want to risk the operation?
The doctor was very reassuring, trying to allay my concerns, stating that since my contraction had not progessed that far (30°), it wouldn’t be a difficult operation, and he thought I could be back on the bike in about 3 weeks. He did indicate I could watch and wait (something most lymphoma patients are very familiar with), if I wasn’t quite ready, but to keep a close eye on it, and make sure it doesn’t progress too far. Then it could become a problem
I just don’t know. The horror stories I’ve heard, still linger in the back of my mind, but I did put my name on the list to be called, to set up a time for the operation anywaze. I don’t have to have the operation right away, and could schedule it for a few months from now when the weather is not very conducive for riding.
Oh well, such is life 
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23 Sep |
Next step, TRANSPLANT Edie, Treatments
Comments (2) |
Edie has completed the stem cell gathering process in only 2 days. Actually, there were enough stem cells collected the first day, but that wasn’t known until after she arrived this morning for her second day of collection, so they decided to gather a few more stem cells for good measure (enough for a second transplant if necessary).
There’s no stopping the process now, so for the next 2+ weeks things can get back to some semblence of normalcy, as we wait for October 10th, when Edie will be admitted to the City of Hope, to begin the transplant.
We even managed to have a couple glasses of wine with dinner tonight.