Back on track

Okay, the transplant is back on. It looks like we will be starting this Sunday, and we will follow the same schedule from last week.

What I'm working on while I wait

(I removed the photo from the original post - I will post an actual progress photo when I take one)

This is what I am working on while I wait...

Playing the waiting game

We are still waiting for approval from the insurance company. As soon as we hear something, I will post the schedule. Because of the upcoming holiday, I don't expect to start the transplant until the 12th.

Starting to feel restless....

Carters Lake

Today we went here. It was really nice - not too hot and not too many people around.

Wanting to strangle the gecko...

The transplant is delayed because the insurance company has not approved the transplant. I do not know how long I will be in Ga, or when the transplant will be. Today we are having a cookout - this was supposed to be the last one before Tom and I start our prep work, but since we won't know when the will be until Monday at the least, it is just a regular cookout.

All I can do now is wait.

Scott, thanks so much for all the work you are doing with the wedding. I miss you.

(I know...blarf)

Thursday

Today Tom , Angie and I went to the Cancer Center. Tom had to meet with the doctors about his radiation (he needs to have radiation for 4 days before the transplant). Then, in the afternoon, I met with the doctors about my test results. The doctors said I am in great condition for the transplant. I had to answer a bunch of personal questions and sign a couple more forms. I picked up a prescription in case I have any pain from the neupogen. Neupogen is just stem cells in the blood - with the Neupogen shots, my bone marrow will basically grow a ton of stem cells, and then after five days of the shots, the stem cells will move from my bone marrow into my blood stream. The harvesting is just removing blood from my body, running it through a machine similar to a centrifuge to pull out the extra stem cells, and then putting it back into my body. Piece of cake.

After the meetings, we went to the place where Tom will be staying starting on Sunday. It is called the Hope Lodge. It was a nice place, but it's not home.

Day 2

Today Tom, Angie, Mom and I went to the clinic to meet with the doctors and find out some more about the transplant and what is going on. We were in meetings from 11:30 this morning, and we just got home a few minutes ago. We stopped to visit some of their friends on the way home, and then we went to dinner at a mexican restaurant. It was a very tiring day, but I learned a lot.

Tomorrow is my day to meet with the doctors and fill out a bunch of paperwork. I have to answer a bunch of questions about my medical history.

The doctors did tell me today the the preliminary results from my tests looked good. Stem cell transplants are very interesting - the donors do not need to be in perfect health - in fact, some donors are not healthy enough to be recipients, but they are healthy enough to donate.

I'll have more info tomorrow after I meet with the doctors.

My first day

Today was my first day at the clinic. In order to do the stem cell transplant, I need to undergo a bunch of tests to make sure I am healthy enough for the procedure. This morning, Tom and I got up early and went into Atlanta. It was a 1.25 hour drive, but took 1.5 hours because of traffic. The first thing I had to do was have blood drawn. They took 14 vials, which ended up being about a half a pint.

Next, they did an EKG. They put a bunch of stickers on me and hooked me up to a machine. Then they told me to stay still while they did the test. Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay completey still under pressure? They ended up having to do the test again because they said the first one looked like I was in the middle of a war zone.

Next was the chest x-ray. That one was a breeze.

The last thing I had to was undergo the education for the self injections. I need to have neuprogen shots twice a day for 5 days. They taught me to fill the syringe and give myself the shot. It looks daunting... After the video and the consultation, we went into the room where people donate blood and plasma for the cancer patients. The nurse kept pointing out how happy the donors were, and how everyone was smiling and no one was in pain. I got to see the machine they will use to separate the stem cells from my blood (they will not be puncturing my bones to harvest the stem cells - they only do that in certain cases now that they can grow the stem cells in the blood with the neuprogen.) - it's pretty amazing how medical technology has evolved.

That was it for today - tomorrow we will all go to Tom's appointment to talk with the doctor. I will meet the doctor tomorrow for the first time.

My trip

I am in Georgia at my brother's house for a couple of weeks. We are playing poker and of course, Mom won all my money. Tomorrow I will take the day off and rest before the fun begins.

Night, all...

Happy birthday, Amy!

That's me on the left, my brother Tom in the middle, and my sister Amy on the right. Happy Birthday, Jelly Bean!!! Hope you have a great day!

A label for everything...

I bought this label maker at a retailer-to-be-named-never the other day. I really am enjoying myself. So far, I have labeled my pooh bear, Stanley, and the label maker, just in case it gets confused with a remote. I fully expect Scott will have to have a "conversation" with me pretty soon about the fact that everything in our house will soon have a label on it. I got 78 feet of tape - it was on sale after all!

Now I need to get the fabric labels - so Scott will have no excuses for wearing my underwear. Hee... (Mom, look away!)

Some things are better done naked...

3 times this week I have had to change clothes after brushing my teeth. I think it's my electric toothbrush. It makes me look like a rabid dog when I brush my teeth. Starting Monday, I'm gonna brush my teeth immediately after getting out of the shower. (I would never brush them IN the shower - that's just nasty!)

That is all.

A tale of sweetness

A few weeks ago, Scott and I were watching TV. It was 10 PM and we were watching Forensic Files or a similar show about people who were horrible murdered and how the cops caught the killers. Scott told me these shows really creeped him out, and asked could I try to refrain from watching them right before bed time? I, of course, was oblivious, and used these types of shows to fall asleep to. I had no idea that long after I was asleep, Scott was still wide awake, trying to determine if the noise he just heard was a noisy pipe or some thug trying to break into our apartment and beat us unrecognizable.

So, I started surfing and found the Home and Garden channel. I instantly fell in love with the programming, and have been obsessed with owning a home ever since. Scott, being the super guy he is (and apparently grateful for a good nights sleep), bought me this as a present. Awwwwwwww........(barf!)

Was lost, but now am found

This is St Anne Of The Sea Church in San Francisco, CA. This is the church where I was baptized. It took quite a lot of internet searches and phone calls to find it. My Mom thought my brother Dan and I were baptized at the same church (St Monica, also in SF), but we were not. Luckily, there was a very nice lady at St Monica named Audrey who ultimately found the right church. Thank you, Audrey!