Well, it happened! I took Jim to the hospital Friday morning and they admitted him for his transplant!! With a little luck and Divine intervention, Jim will start receiving the chemo to kill his blood and plasma cells this morning, and will get the stem cell transplant on Tuesday. It should only take 15-20 minutes for the cell infusion. I can barely get my mascara on in 15 minutes!! First, however, they will put in a line through which the chemo will be pumped, and also the stem cells. I'm leaving for the hospital soon to be there with him for the Melphalan (chemo drug).
Someone asked me what the hoped-for outcome of all this effort, drama and anticipation is. Excellent point! The goal of the transplant is to kill all his blood cells (in which the cancer has been reduced) and inject the stem cells which will go deep into his bones and start replacing the blood cells (minus the cancer). In three months, we will know whether the desired remission has happened or not. The best we can hope for is remission, because the myeloma ALWAYS comes back, but it can be months or a decade, of reasonable health, depending on the individual.
My dad, as I mentioned before, had a kidney transplant back in the late 1970's That was such drama, because the donor was his brother, and it involved invasive surgery. Then there were all the drugs he needed to take to prevent rejection. But this is so benign it feels almost like voodoo. Fifteen minutes of easing a tiger into your tank, and not even a needle hole to bear witness to the occasion.
I know there are ethical questions regarding the stem cell research on embryonic cells, but it will be exciting to discover how many diseases can be conquered in the next decade. Then again, if lots more people live, what does that do to the already dodgy social security and entitlement numbers. Do we want people to die all over the world, just so the ranks of those who depend on the social services doesn't reach the cracking point for everyone who needs them, and then malnutrition and starvation will just slip into the place formerly occupied by disease in the list of causes of death?
I need some coffee.
And a magic wand.
3 comments:
Seems women all over the place have been "easing Tiger into their tank"... (ouch...)
Another side note which I think makes me realize just how big the event is: This drug will strip Dad's immune system down to such a degree that he will have NONE of his former vaccinations AND may wind up without celiac! Wow...what an epic "reset button" on ones body.
Continued prayers...and love you both!
~L
Thoughts, prayers, love, and hope that all that has been learned Jim's ups and downs can help others now and in the future. You certainly have helped us learn what this does to all the family.
Please, God, let this go easily and successfully.
b
Wow! This is what we've all been waiting for!
We're all holding our breath.
We're all with you.
Go!
Ted
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