The DLI om Monday went well. When I got to Boston, I headed up to the ninth floor for labs, then I waited until I got called in to see either Dr Mac or Chrissa (the nurse practitioner) and they reviewed my labs with me. This time my platelets weren't so good, but that can happen after chemo and platelets are always the last thing to recover. I remember during transplant there was an issue with my platelets recovering, so I don't think this is unusual...just annoying. After the review of my labs, Lee and I headed down to the eighth floor to the infusion area. My infusion nurse's name is Theresa and she will stay with me for as many infusions as I need. Theresa put in an IV and drew some more labs for chimerism. Oh yeah, my chimerism was slightly better from my initial labs. It doesn't mean too much, but I look at it as going in the right direction.
Then, it was time for the infusion! First thing is that I'm reminded what to look for if I get GVHD and when to call the doctor. GVHD happens when newly transplanted cells regard the recipient's body as foreign. When this happens, the cells attack the recipient's body. I had GVHD in my liver with the original transplant. It can also occur in the skin, gut or wherever the hell it decides to be a pain in the butt. So, I'm reminded that I may get a rash and it usually starts on the face and trunk. I should call my doctor and get right to MGH (Mass General) if this happens. I may get diarrhea and that is fine as long as it doesn't get too bad. If it gets bad, guess what? I get to take a trip to Boston. Man, I really hope that shit doesn't happen! HAHA! A long car ride, diarrhea and a new car, would not be a good combination!!
Anyway, a tech was in the room with a machine to defrost the lymphocytes that had to immediately administered after defrosting. She was a very nice young lady who told us all about the flooding in Boston during the last snowstorm. Theresa came back into the room and hung up a small IV bag with the "stuff". It actually looks like watered down blood. I said that I thought it looked disgusting. She told me to tell her how I really feel. I wasn't being callous about the whole thing and I'm very grateful, but I still think it's gross. My vitals were taken before, during and after. Oh, and I wrapped myself in the prayer shawl that the women at my sister Marlene's church made for me. Isn't that extremely sweet of these lovely women? The whole infusion was finished in about 10 minutes. I didn't have any pain
in my arm from the preservatives which are larger cells that can cause discomfort. My breath was a little stinky for the first day or so. Kind of garlicky mixed with halitosis. PU! All in all an okay day. Now we wait, again. I'll see Dr. Mike in Danbury every week to check my blood and I'll do another week of chemo starting on January 22nd.
Everything I do is outpatient, so please feel free to call or text, because I'm home and sometimes I get bored. I am staying away from big crowds because it's flu season and if you are even a little bit sick...stay away from me! Actually, my friends are very good about this. The next post will be about the last year and how I got here. Peace out for now!
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