One week down..

One week ago, I flew into LA and was admitted to the hospital.  While time has gone by at a normal pace...I really wish I could just fast forward through the coming weeks.  I am ready to go home... but now I have to stay here. After all that chemo over the last week, my blood counts will be dropping and my immune system will down.  I have to stay in the hospital so I can live through this. This next week is going to be the hard one.  

I know that God is in control and that He will get me through this, but sometimes I let the fear and anxiety get the best of me.  Please keep me in your prayers. Just say a quick prayer for me when I come to your mind.

Tomorrow they will be giving me my stem cells back.  Then, I just have to get my counts up.

The schedule

I was admitted to the hospital yesterday.  I got into my room about 5 and then began all the interviews with nurses and doctors. This is a teaching hospital so I will be questioned by many different people who are learning, as well as those who are handling my care.

Here is kind of a schedule of what I will be doing for the next couple weeks.
Thursday, April 18th-  BCNU chemo 
Friday-Monday, April 19th-22nd-  etoposide and arabinoside each twice a day
Tuesday, April 23rd- melphalan
Wednesday, April 24th - rest
Thursday, April 25th- stem cell infusion

What they are doing is hitting me with high doses of chemo, then rescuing me with my stem cells, which they just put back in my body through my IV line.  After I get my stem cells the rest is about monitoring my recovery.  My blood counts will drop really low the week following my chemo.  I may need blood or platelet infusions, and I am at a high risk for infection.

When they fill like my counts are good enough, usually 10-15 days after receiving stem cells, I will be released but have to stay in the area for up to two more weeks before I get to go home.  It really all depends on how well and how quickly I recover.

Transplant is Back On

I finished my second COAP cycle on March 21^st.  The next week, March 25^th-the 29^th, my doctor had me taking a bunch of different tests.  I had an EKG, an echocardiogram, a pulmonary exam (lung function test), a bunch of labs, and of course a new PET scan.  Everything looked good!! EVEN the PET scan!! Yay!! Thank you Jesus!!!

 

Now all I had to do was wait for my LA doctor to say that everything looked good enough for transplant.  My transplant coordinator went ahead and scheduled me to be admitted on April 8^th.  I had to call my Mom and tell her she needed to be here in person by Friday the 5^th, so that I could get her a long-term pass for base access.  So, my parents got here Thursday evening and Friday we were able to get the passes for my Mom, with help from my husband’s squadron.   I also received a call from my coordinator and was told they didn’t have enough information from my scans to approve me yet, so she rescheduled me for admittance on April 11^th.  On Wednesday, the 10^th, I still hadn’t heard if they were going to approve my transplant, which I admit was a bit infuriating.  I needed to tell my kids if I was going to be leaving the next day and not coming back for several weeks.  So, I called the coordinator to find out what she knew and also inform her that I had a fever and cough.  When she got back to me, she said the doctor had approved my transplant!! But I couldn’t be admitted with an active infection, so I wouldn’t be admitted Thursday after-all.   However, the doctor still wanted me to come to LA, so she could check me out herself.  So, I flew to LA and the doctor officially approved my transplant.  I signed my paperwork and was reminded of the process and risks, etc. involved with the transplant.  They said as long as I am over this bug, I will be admitted Wednesday, April 17^th.

 

So, it looks like this transplant is officially back on!!  It was almost a year ago that I thought I was going to have this transplant but didn’t get to after a PET scan showed new growth.  One thing that I have been learning the last few months is that God’s timing is perfect.  I may never know why, but I definitely believe that my transplant postponement happened for a reason.

 

I do appreciate and ask for your continued prayers, not only for me, but for my family.  I know that it is hard on my husband that he is not here at this time, and my girls….well they have never gone a day without their Mama.  And on top of that, they don’t have their Daddy at home right now either.  Although they will have my Mom here, which I am so thankful for, I know this separation is going to be hard for them to deal with.  So, please remember them in your prayers.  Thank you!