Skip to main content

The reality of it all

Edie's hook upsWell, here it is one day before "Day 0" (the transplant), and the reality of all this is finally settling in. I know I've been preparing for this day for several months, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with the next two weeks, making dinner for Sylvia and myself every night, the thought of not being able to share a good bottle of wine with Edie, and sleeping in that great big bed alone.

Oh well, at least the City of Hope makes it very comfortable for the transplant patients.  The rooms are nice size and private, and even have a DSL connection for accessing the internet.

But no one will ever mistake this ordeal for a vacation, as evidenced by the numerous drugs and monitoring devices attached to Edie (not sure what the flashlight is for though), and the ordeal visitors have to go through.

Before entering the room, everyone (doctors, nursers, technicians, and the catering staff included) has to wash their hands, and put on latex gloves, and this very uncomfortable face mask. And so you don't forget, there's a sink, gloves and face masks at the entrance to each and every room.

I know there's good reason for all the precautions, which should become more evident in the next couple of days, as the Melphalan does its dirty work, and after the transplant, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

So if you were planning on a visit, I would recommend against it. While I'm sure Edie would appreciate seeing everyone, she would probably feel worse knowing how uncomfortable you'd be.

Calling, emailing or instant messaging are much better options.
Labels:

Comments

Becky said…
I'm sure you will do just fine.

I'll bring you some movies this week. John thought the Zohan was hysterical.
2:11 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...
1 comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more