A week ago Friday, our team gave us permission to take a break from all this and go to Spokane. We left Saturday morning after one last blood draw and arrived in Spokane Saturday afternoon. Seeing the pugs was such a joy for both of us. We spoiled them with plenty of treats and pets. We spent the next four days with friends - mostly eating while visiting. This trip was the best medicine we could have had.
We headed back to Seattle Wednesday morning for a meeting with our team that afternoon. The next day Jim had another Hickman line put in on the other side of his chest. On Friday we found out they put in the wrong Hickman line. This one is an Apheresis line for collecting which makes it short and thick where the one the doctor ordered was supposed to be long and skinny. It'll work just the same but now they need to use Heperin to clear the line for potential blood clots. Jim shouldn't have heperin because of the bleeds in his head but they said it was just a small amount - not to worry.
So, this is the week leading up to the Big Transplant. A few last minute tests and then the process begins. Tuesday, another bone marrow biopsy. Wednesday, another MRI. And Thursday, a CT/Pet Scan. Saturday, he will start the serious Chemo that will last for six days and on the seventh day they will infuse the stem cells that they collected from Jim a week or so ago. The "transplant" is the actual infusion of the stem cells. That is of course, if everything goes according to plan. Which, unless they detect any cancer in his system it should be on track. He needs to be cancer-free before the tranplant can take place.
So, after the actual "transplant", it will take 30 days for Jim to recuperate. Hopefully we'll be home sometime in April.
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