Groundhog Day

Hello from Baltimore!!!! Wait a minute...I've already done that. This week has been a very peculiar one for me. Every day has felt more and more like a duty rather than a cure. I wake up in the late morning and have brunch. I walk across the street and go to the transplant clinic. I go to the same station to get my vitals check and then report to a lounge chair to get my chemo. I'm there anywhere from 2 to 4 hours (depending on my blood counts) and then released. Then, I walk back across the street to the apartment I'm staying in. Finally, after a little bit of free-time, I have dinner, take my temperature, and go to sleep....only to do the whole thing all over again the next day. I'm literally living in a Groundhog Day scenario and will be doing this for the next two months.

As for an update on my treatment regimen, I have successfully completed the pre-transplant chemo, with today being my last day. 

Besides the minor queasiness, it was generally well tolerated and now I proceed to the next step...total body radiation.

My appointment is set for the afternoon and I'm seriously dreading every minute that passes by. I know all will be ok and it will be over in a matter of minutes...but that still doesn't diminish the phobia that has been growing from an early age. I've been told mixed messages from the nurses regarding getting some sort of anti-anxiety med, and I'm determined to take two Ativan should they choose not to give me anything (as I know one pill will not be enough to calm me down).

After this is the big day!!! Tuesday I get my transplant!!!

My wonderful sister will be donating some of her bone marrow to potentially save my life. In all honesty, though, my part is very anti-climatic. It's given to me in a giant IV bag and I probably won't notice any side effects until a few days after Day 0 (Tuesday). The Groundhog Day ritual will still continue as I keep reporting to the clinic every day for monitoring. There are even two days where I will be receiving post-transplant chemotherapy to suppress my own immune system, allowing my sister's bone marrow to take over. Otherwise...it's just waiting and watching to see if the transplant works. I pray it does as it's the only thing left for me.

Anyway...that's honestly about all that is new on my end. I would like to take this time though to thank all the people in my life who have not only supported me but have willingly offered to be there for me during this difficult time. Special thanks to my mom who still stood by me even though I was at my lowest on Tuesday, and an extra special thanks to my current caregiver, Linda who has taken extra good care of me and put up with my crazy randomness this past week. Haha! I love you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!