My journey 8/6/10

8/2/10

A little glimmer of good news today. My blood counts are up and looking really good.  I thought that after a three day infusion that they would be much lower.  So that is good.  Also I have been feeling good and ready to get on with this process.  I go into tomorrow to have the second round of intense chemo.  That will be a three day infusion of ICE.  One other thing, im going to Lutheran hospital instead of St Anthonys.  I guess one hospital has the Chemo in stock and the other doesn't.  Change is good.  Its off of 38th and Kipling for those who want to know...

8/6/10

I've been getting asked about the time line for the stemcell transplant.  There is a lot of stuff to it.  But here it is in a nut shell.

3 weeks from now I go through a shit load of testing.  Blood, Heart, Lungs, Bone Marrow biopsy, you name it.  Just to see where I stand physically.  I should be good to go after this current round of chemo by that point. 1 week after that I will have the catheter put in (a Hickman or Girshon) into my chest, at the point I will have my stem-cells harvested. Once we have enough Stem-cells, 2-3 days, I go through a week of chemo to hopefully kill the last of the bad Hodgkin's cells, then a week or so of recovery and then the transplant.  Im potentially going to be in the hospital for 3 weeks.  Then outpatient isolation for 1-2 months.  Maybe longer depending on how my body feels and how recovery goes.

The PICC line in my arm is coming out tomorrow after all the chemo and meds are done.  Looking forward to that.  That thing has been a pain in the ass.  But very convenient as well.

Defiantly starting to feel the effects of the chemo.  Tired and fatigued.  Been getting rest.  Looking froward to getting home and feeling comfortable.  I gotten quite a few things done while i've been here.  Ill fill you all in about that down there road...