Stem Cell Collection Day 1
5 1/2 hours with a large needle in the left arm and the arm tied down as you could not move it. A smaller IV in the right hand. Blood is taken out of the left arm, goes into a cell seperator machine, stem cell section is filtered out to another bag, the rest of blood goes back in the right arm. They run all the blood in your body through the machine 3 times and end up with a cup and half of stem cells(3 million).
Aside from the needle stabbing.... mostly painless and endlessly boring. You can't read as the one arm has to stay straight and the other would hurt if you tried to hold a book. All you get is bad TV. The same news repeated every hr.
Tomorrow we repeat this as were need 2 million more for enough to do two transplants. Stem Cells are apparently like that brownish thing in your freezer that you keep meaning to throw out. They keep for 5-7 years if frozen properly.
Hopefully we get to go home tomorrow night. We are getting fat going to friends for dinner, eating out at all the types of restuarants that small town home lacks. Indian, Malay, Singaporian, Mexican, Shenzhen, Persian, Sushi, Beard Papas, Chocalte berry philo rolls.....still hoping to hit some Koren and a Japanese izakaya.
Trying to eat it all before they Chemo away my tastebuds
Last edited by Merek007; 06-09-2010 at 02:09 AM.