Cell collection went pretty well on Thursday. It actually went far better and I spent far less time at the hospital than I did back in 2009 when I was preparing for my stem cell transplant.
My nurse was awesome. I found out she went to Cornerstone Christian in Willoughby and then to Malone College. I like to ask where my nurses and doctors went to school.
The surgery itself was pretty simple.
I had an IV installed prior to going into the OR and that provided the only real issue.
It seems my skin is much tougher than it was in the past and the nurse had a hard time getting the vein the first time.
Once in the OR, I was supposedly sedated but I was awake during the whole thing. I felt the needle puncture the skin in my neck just above the collar bone. I felt the burn of the local anesthesia as it entered my veins.
It wasn't bad, but I felt it.
The folks in the OR were great. Dr. Dave, Scott, Chris and Amber all took turns doing something to me. I couldn't see what any activity since they put up a barrier between what they were doing and my face. I could talk to them and hear them but I couldn't see much other than a wall.
Someone turned on the radio and I asked if they took requests. They asked me what I wanted to hear and I told them to put on The Doors. I figured it was appropriate since I was supposed to be sedated to the point where I'd be happy to be there.
We rocked out to The Doors while they inserted this big tube into my veins through my neck.
That picture shows the tube after it was pulled. It wasn't very painful but they could have at least offered a shot of tequila!
Right before they cut into my neck the technician showed me the brush he was using to spread the chloroform to clean the area.
It was orange so he said, "I'm giving you one of those Donald Trump tans."
I said, "I could do without that but since I don't know any of you who will be cutting into my carotid artery I'll leave my opinions to myself."
See, that's why I like to know more about my doctors and nurses.
The one issue we had in the OR was determining which side to install the line.
The initial decision was to go into the right side. But, after using the ultrasound they determined the veins on the right were a little too small. The one on the left was a bit too close to the carotid artery for their liking, but ultimately it was a better choice than the one on the right.
That left me feeling a bit uneasy, but it all went well.
The surgery took about 35 minutes and then I was carted up to the second floor of the Seidman Cancer Center for cell collection.
It took just about an hour to collect the necessary amount of cells and another 10 minutes or so to return the blood back into my body.
There were no issues during the collection, which was great because I haven't had many procedures where everything went better than expected. I'm hoping this is a good sign.
Once the cells were collected, two ladies from the lab came by to pick them up. As they were waiting, I engaged them in conversation and told them it's pretty remarkable what they do.
I said, "I envision you in the lab training those cells the same way we train Sea Monkeys." One of the ladies said, "It's not quite like that."
I also asked how many times they get to "train" T-cells in the lab. They said only about once or twice a month. They only have one machine and each bag of cells is in that machine for 12 days.
It made a lot of sense considering I am--or was--Patient #13 in the clinical trial. I told them about my number and how I wasn't too keen on being #13.
I was so relieved when one of the ladies said they actually had to skip Patient #2's cells so technically I am No. 12!
Once the ladies collected the bag full of my t-cells, my nurse, Debbie, took us upstairs to see the third floor, where I'll be admitted on June 5. I'll spend about three weeks there so it was nice to get a look at the floor and the rooms.
The rooms are about the same size as the ones in the building where I had my previous stem cell transplant. But, these rooms come with a recliner and a pull-out couch. That's going to nice because I hated sitting in bed all day.
The floor is laid out in almost a big square so I'll have a lot of space to walk/pace during the day. It helps to keep me active and breaks up the monotony and boredom.
There also is a little exercise room with a treadmill and elliptical machine. I'm not sure if that's just for physical therapy patients or if I can use it. I know it's ambitious, but I am hoping to stay pretty active.
I'm bringing some stretch bands so I can maintain some strength while I'm there. I have a guitar to play with and hopefully learn how to play a couple of chords and I'm working on my Spanish. I'll have plenty to do. Now I just have to hope for the energy to do some of it.
I just learned moments ago my PICC line will be inserted at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and then we'll wait until my room is available to move in.
My transplant coordinator said I should be able to grab some lunch after the surgery. Last time, my port installation was very early and then I sat in the basement of the hospital for six or seven hours before being admitted. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot.
June 5 is the last day of school for my kids. They're going to skip out on that day and head to the hospital with me and Paulette. It would be awful to sit in the basement again all day.
I do have an appointment on Monday with my transplant doctor but other than that it should be smooth sailing until check-in day.
The photo below is me during cell collection. As you can see, there wasn't much to it. That machine sucked in the blood, separated the cells and returned the blood.
Paulette was going to try to videotape the nurse removing the line (I can't remember what it was...it wasn't a PICC line), but she was too grossed out and wimpy.
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