So I suppose you're wondering how today went. It went well! Today was the big day I was scheduled to meet with bone marrow/stem cell transplant specialist, Dr. McClune. We (Josh & I) weren't really sure what to expect when we got there as this is all new to us. We're old pro's when it comes to the chemotherapy process and how ABVD treatment works, but transplants? Not so much!
On the way to the U this morning we both tried to prepare ourselves for Dr. McClune pushing us in the direction of having this stem cell transplant since this is what they specialize in. Plus it means more money in their pockets! I guess it was sort of silly of us to almost assume that he'd try to persuade us into moving forward with that vs. giving us all options first and weighing what may be the best route for me in my particular case. When it was all said and done the doctor's recommendation wasn't to do a stem cell transplant, but to do a very high dose of radiation followed by another PET scan to see where we're at.
At this stage of the game I don't really care what they do as long as they get rid of this cancer, but I was still relieved when he said he'd prefer radiation vs. stem cell transplant at this time. The whole process of a stem cell transplant seems like quite the process. First, a person goes through one straight week full of tests to make sure they're healthy enough to go through the procedure, and then they go through the actual procedure of removing stem cells from my bone marrow, which goes into a apheresis machine that essentially spins the bone marrow at fast speeds causing the stem cells and platelets to separate from the rest of the blood. The blood is then put back into the body, and the stem cells are dripped intravenously back into the body while I'm being given a strong dose of chemo. Dr. McClune listed out all the scary side effects and risk factors depending on if the bone marrow was my own (autologous) or a donor's (allogenic), but I know he has to legally do that so we're well aware just in case. Hopefully this will not be a path I'll need to go down, and can be revisited at a later date if it is.
Other than talks of radiation and a stem cell transplant Dr. McClune comforted us with a big list of other treatment options we still have available to us if needed, one of those being the CD30 antibody which to put into layman's terms goes directly into cancer cells and kills just those cells vs. the ABVD treatments I've had that can't detect a cancer cell vs. a healthy one so it kills both. It's pretty awesome if you think about it that there is essentially a "smart" form of therapy that is now out there that can detect the cells that are cancerous and only attack those. In thinking back to all the options the doctor listed off to us, it probably would have been wise for us to bring a notebook and write them all down so I could share those with you. So sorry! There was a lot of medical terminology being used so I probably wouldn't caught all of it anyways. Between Josh and I, we should be able to give a general idea of what the appointment covered. All-in-all though, the important thing is that WE HAVE OPTIONS and that in itself is wonderful news.
Josh and I left the appointment feeling good about the meeting with Dr. McClune, and felt energized and hopeful in what we had learned this morning. It sounds like he's going to be presenting my case at a BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) conference on Monday to hear what the other 13 doctors have to say, and then I should be getting a call either that evening or sometime on Tuesday with what the final recommendation is on their end. After that I should be hearing back from Dr. Londer on what the plan of attack will be.
Stay Tuned...
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