T - day (part two). Sitting in Jebus' Waiting Room (pictures)

I am more than happy to be able to tell you that the stem cell infusion took place today (19th Feb.) between 2.25 and 2.50pm. No flags and whistles or marching bands just me and Nurse Mai keeping a watchful eye on the pinky red bag of juice as it was gravity fed down the tube across my chest and into the CVC at my neck. They don't use the infusion pumps for this procedure for fear of damaging the stem cells, so a nurse is on hand throughout to make sure the precious goop doesn't log jam in the tubes - and if it does it is given a 'push' with a syringe of saline. The prep and premeds were just as involved as for chemo with the addition of the  JGJNEJ preservative* which will give my sweat the pleasant odour of sweet corn for the next few days, not that sitting on your arse in an air-conditioned room gives much cause for that.


Mid transplant note infuser running across chest to CVC in neck.


One of my friends suggested that I should have gone the whole hog and ordered a plate of asparagus for dinner tonight to complement the corn, but sadly it's not on the menu. I've spent the rest of the day sleeping whilst receiving a couple of units blood transfusion. The chemo continues to do its' job, as my existing manky blood production facility is gradually demolished to make room for the spanky new seeds to finds a bed and start to germinate. My haemoglobin level had dropped to 7.0 hence the need for a couple of baggies. To illustrate what is happening with my blood content and for future reference I will endeavour to include the 4 main blood measurables in each daily blog entry. Apologies for the lapse into Management Bullshit there...

They are as follows - definitions are as I understand them to be, not text book (I might stretch as far as a quick gander at wikipedia);

Hb (Haemoglobin): primarily found in red blood cells and used in moving and delivering oxygen around the body to where needed. I think it plays a part in giving 'caucasians' a pinky skin tone.
Usual count for women 12 -15 - usual count for men 13-16 

WBC (White blood cells): Count of white blood cells found in sample. Normal count range 4-11
White blood cells are responsible for attacking infection in the body.

(Pl.) Platelets: Responsible for clotting the blood. Normal count 150-400

(Npl.) Neutrophylls: A type of and most common WBC . Normal count 2.0 -7.5

When I came in to Kings a couple of weeks after a transfusion my levels were Hb: 9.4 WBC: 1.75 Pl: 68 and Npl.: 0.58.

I've had a couple of mails from people saying 'Great job -so you'll be out in what a week or so?' If only this were one of those sodding Hallmark life story films on Channel 5 that I've learned to avoid like a dogs eye sandwich, then we'd go all soft swirly and orchestral fade out with me running down Camberwell High Street in slow-mo to be reunited with my family in a triumphant group hug outside the Tennessee Chicken or the Dixie Fried Chicken or the Morleys Chicken and Burgers (sorry - South London joke there) but it's not.

I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks  relaxed on the outside, flapping on the inside waiting for news on stem cell engraftment. The fact that the stem cell infusion went off well isn't the end of the deal. We now have to hurry up and wait for up to 2 - 3weeks to be sure that the immuno-suppressants are preventing rejection and  for signs in the daily blood samples that things are working. Initially I can expect to see the blood content levels drop off as the chemo does its stuff which will also engender the destruction of the existing immune system, loss of hair and a lot of sleeping - a little taster of being 90 years old, I may even spout wildly inappropriate cultural remarks and begin telling all and sundry that they don't even know they're born these days...

The positive sign that the docs will be looking for is the re-emergence of the neutrophyl count in my blood which shows that the donor stem cells have set up shop and have commenced business. Then things boil down to how well I manage to avoid picking up infections - the nursing staff tell me no matter how careful you are that it's impossible to avoid illness of some form when  immunity is less than that of a newborn (even newborns inherit some parental immunities)  the only variable is to what degree. I've said I'm OK up to and including a hangnail or maybe even a verrucca but if it's anything more severe, then go for amputation.

I've been told that my CVC is to be replaced by a Hickman tomorrow and that I'll be having a transfusion of platelets to ensure that there isn't a repeat of the gore fest that followed the last one being fitted. My platelet count is currently 22.

*(JollyGreenGiantNibletExtractJuice)