T - day (part one). The end of the start.

Well I'm due to be getting the stem cell infusion today after lunch. Preparations are going off pretty much like a normal day, I started on infusions of Aciclovir, Ciclosporin and NAC at about 6.30am together with the pills, - anti sickies steroids and a new one which is like a soluble Vitamin C tablet.

Here's what all the fuss is about - 4.5 million stem cells

A Hickman Line would usually be used to deliver the cells, but there hasn't been time to whack another one in me so today it's going to be via the CVC, which has a narrower bore, but all of the four access tubes has been flushed after each infusion and the best ie clearest will be chosen today. Another nugget of info for the people in the queue, just before receiving the stem cells this arvo I will be receiving an injection of preservative to protect the incoming new cells. A side effect of this is that I will smell like sweet corn for a couple days as the stuff works its way though my system.

Two members of the post transplant team dropped by to see me yesterday - first was the physio who has given me a range of exercises to prevent me from vegging and the second was the post transplant coordinator who will be my contact for the myriad questions that are bound to come up short term and will be looking after me through to recovery and beyond. Again I haven't used names yet but will if they are OK with it - and I remember to ask.

I found out how to look at the blog stats a couple of days ago and had a bit of a shock. Considering that I thought the target audience would be family, friends and work buddies it knocked me flat on my arse to see that up until last night it has had 1250 page views since I started posting again a week ago, especially since my only other regular writing output is the Tesco shopping list. Know your audience though, so I thought I'd let you know that the two most viewed pages so far were both written when and about when I was a seething mass of steroids, chemo, coffee and insomnia. Recovery dictates that things will be a bit less pharmaceutical than that so I will be producing much less of the same and will have to accept that the figures have now peaked! More later - post transplant.