Tonight I start giving myself three injections a night. The purpose of these shots is to increase my production of stem cells. I need to make ten million this week! Ten million!
On Tuesday morning I will go to the hospital early and have another port surgically implanted up by my collarbone. Three short tubes will hang off of it. Then I will get blood tests and wait around to get results. If all is well, I will go to the Blood Center at the hospital, and they will start collecting, or “harvesting” as they call it, my stem cells. I sit in a recliner for up to 6 hours, hooked up to something like a dialysis machine. This process will be repeated each day this week until they have enough.
However, we have a little hiccup to solve first. My labs last week showed low white blood cells and dropping platelets. So I have been on antibiotics and staying home to prevent infection. I have spent a couple days in bed improving my knitting. If my platelets have not come up tomorrow, I will probably have to get a transfusion, which may push everything back a day or so.
Next week I will have what is hopefully my last round of chemo. At the end of the August, I will receive another scan. Hopefully, it will show me in full remission. If so, I will be admitted into the hospital on the 30th to start the stem cell transplant process. However, if any cancer is left the stem cell transplant will not work. So I will have to do another round of chemo, using different drugs to try to wipe out any straggling cancer cells. If that still does not get everything, then I will start the stem cell transplant anyways, but I will have to use a donor. Using a donor would mean a much higher chance of harmful side effects from the process.
Lots of if/thens! Lots up in the air. Now is when all that mindfulness stuff comes in handy for sure. Follow your breath.
Exercises in Equanimity 