Tales from Day Zero

Arnie:
The effects of the pre-transplant chemo managed to slow me down considerably. In the morning I had the TBI which was no problem as it meant I had to lie on a bed while a team of four saturated my body with radiation. The effects from the radiation were delayed, so we made it home without incident and quietly prepared for our trip to the University Medical Centre. By about 3 in the afternoon I was feeling completely run down and the radiation was making its effects known. Total GI discombobulation culminated with losing my supper banana in the hospital parkade (and I don't mean misplaced). The staff at the hospital were great and tried their best to keep me comfortable and manage my symptoms with limited success.

The donor cells arrived at the SCCA Lab at 9:30 pm and the stem cell infusion was started at 11:00 pm. The cells were in a big IV bag and looked just like a blood transfusion. They were infused slowly over four hours to keep an eye on any adverse reactions but none occurred.

I slept on and off during the night and by 6:00 am I was feeling so much better. The GI symptoms had mostly disappeared and the only major problem was incredibly itchy feet. It's just like when I was a kid playing outside for three hours at -30 until my feet froze and the itch that sets in when they thaw. I'm naming it Thiessen Frozen Foot Syndrome (TFFS) and with size 14 feet.....

I am imagining the new stem cells have been traveling around my system and are checking the place out. They will have discovered the bone marrow has a few old weak stem cells hanging around but lots of growth opportunities for eager young entrepreneurs to set up shop. Over the
next three or four weeks they will build shops and factories to make more stem cells and change the population of Marrowville, sending the old ones off to their reward. After that they will need to work on the rest of the body but that's for another submission.

Brenda:
Turns out Feb 19th & 20th are both considered Day Zero, as the stem cell infusion started late the first evening & finished early the next. This is Arnie's second stem cell transplant and my second opportunity to sit with him during the infusion and witness this sacred event. The lights were dimmed and the room was quiet and comfortable. Outwardly, it was pretty uneventful.

I was able to stay overnight in Arnie's room on a pretty comfy fold out chair. The next morning Arnie announced "I feel better. They're working already." Our nurse greeted him with "Happy Birthday". A special day. We were discharged home by 3:00pm.

We understand the next 2-3 weeks will be fragile as Arnie's 'old' bone marrow is unable to fight infection and send out new blood cells and the 'new' stem cells have not established themselves yet. His GI discombobulation continues today. Our 5 minute walk to the SCCA clinic took 10 minutes and included a short rest at the top of the hill. Arnie has snoozed much of the day. But we have such hope for tomorrow.

Thanks once again for your support. Much love to you all.
Arnie & Brenda