My stem cell transplant couldn't have gone any better. It was such a quick process once they hooked me up. Before they started, the doctor told me that I may taste/smell creamed corn due to the chemical they use to thaw out the cells which I thought was sort of funny - creamed corn out of all things! Sure enough though, the second the cells started dripping in, not only could I smell corn, but I could taste it too. I like corn and all, but after a while it was starting to turn my stomach because of how strong it was. Once I started chewing gum though all that went away, and I even started to get used to it after a while. I was told I smelled like corn the next couple days after transplant by my mom and Josh, but I guess I could have smelled like worse things!
Here are a few pictures from the day...
Stem cell bag 1 of 3
Stem cell bag 1 of 3
A couple pictures with mom :)
Right after transplant I was feeling pretty darn good. I had more energy than I thought I'd have, but forced myself to lay low and rest. On Saturday (6/23) after being looked over, I was given the OK to be discharged. My dad arrived just before 11 to pick my mom and I up, and after the nurse showed her how to give me my daily Lupron shots (used to put my ovaries into an inactive state), we packed up and headed home. FREEDOM!!
You'd think we were going on vacation with all these bags...
The awesome Tootsie Pop bouquet from my friends Lora & Tim
Mom & I (all masked up) waiting for dad to pull up the truck
Home!
I can't tell you how good it felt to leave the hospital. I couldn't wait to just get home, see my girls, and sleep in my own bed. You don't realize how awesome your own bed is until you've slept on a hospital bed with rubber pillows for 7 nights.
Josh was off on a much deserved guys weekend so my mom stayed over that first night. We spent the day lounging on the couches, watching girly movies on TV, and feasted on Buca di Beppo that my aunt Deb and uncle Kevin brought us (thanks again!). On Sunday morning I woke up with a sore throat, but felt pretty good otherwise. I thought that maybe I slept with my mouth open or the air was dry, causing the sore throat, but when I went into the clinic on Monday, they told me it was the start of Mucositis. I was warned about this pesky Mucositis in the hospital, and was just hoping it wouldn't get bad like the doctor said it could. Thankfully I ended up with a very mild case of it, but it still involved fevers between 100.1 and 100.6, sore gums, and canker sores. Even the front of my tongue was raw for about a week.
My everyday toothpaste was just too harsh on my mouth and I needed something a little milder so my mom went out on a mission - to find me some mild toothpaste. This is what she came back with... :)
Thomas the Train Orajel for Toddlers - Tooty Fruity Flavor
She asked the pharmacist if he could help her find a toothpaste that would be more mild than what we had, and he kept telling her she needed to consult with a dentist so she took matters into her own hands. The funny thing about it all is that this toothpaste actually helped, and it no longer felt like my mouth was on fire when I'd brush my teeth. My mom is the best.
Now that I had the mouth sores/pain situation handled, next came the migraines - darn you, migraines! Oh, but not only did I get migraines, but apparently I've turned into a puker as well. My brother was always the one who'd throw up with bad headaches as a child, but not me! Apparently I am now the same way. I experienced migraines all last week that usually involved me hugging it out with a toilet or two, or in one instance a bucket in the clinic. Even Oxycodone wasn't doing the trick when they'd get to a certain point. My doctor contributes the migraines to my hormones being all out of wack due to the Lupron shots I was getting. Thankfully I only had to get the shots until this past Friday, and haven't experienced a migraine for a couple days now so hopefully we're over that hump too.
During all of this I've been continuing to go into the clinic bright and early every morning to have my lab work done, get the growth factor shot, see a physician, and also to get IV meds for this Mucositis, along with transfusions of platelets, red blood cells, or both if needed. When all of the above are needed, it can make for a long day - typically 5 hours. When only the IV meds are needed, I'm usually out of there in 2 hours. It's so hard to really plan how the day may go, so you just have to roll with it - anticipate being there 5 hours, and if we're out of there in 2 it's a bonus. My WBC's are really starting to take off. On Sunday they were .4, Monday they were 1.8, Tuesday they were 7.1, and today they were 14.7! We're getting there...
A picture of grandma & I from Tuesday :)
Today is day +11 since transplant, and a lot more will start to happen around day 30. On day 28 I will go in for a CT scan and one more bone marrow biopsy (ridiculous...I know). Also around this time, a lot of my pills I'm currently taking will start going away, I will be able to have my central line removed, and will have more freedom to be out and about amongst the masses without my mask as my immune system should be pretty darn good.
I can't wait to feel like myself again, and figure out what my new 'normal' will be. I have a lot to look forward to.
Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers, and a special thank you to those who came to visit me in the hospital! Love to you all!
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