Mobilization Day 1

I reported to the Feinberg building at 07:30am and was walked over through a long underground tunnel and admitted to the 15th floor of the Prentice Hospital on the Northwestern campus.  The 15th and 16th floor at Prentice is the isolation section where all of Northwestern patients receive chemo for a variety of diseases.  I'm in a very nice private room and the staff has been VERY friendly and helpful.  Food menu is an a la carte menu with many healthy choices and is served upon request from 6:30am - 9:00pm.  The staff also has stashes of food on the 15th floor to satisfy those late night cravings.

When I got to my room the nurse drew some labs and all came back normal.  She also conducted a rectal swab to check me for strains of Vancomycin-resistant enterococci bacteria
(http://www.medicinenet.com/vancomycin-resistant_enterococci_vre/article.htm)
which they take special precautions for due to the serious risks involved, especially with other immune compromised patients on this floor.

I started IV hydration just before lunch to prepare for chemo.  Nurses had a little trouble finding a good vein, but after 3 sticks we were in business and there has been no discomfort with the IV throughout the day.  The nurses tried to get a catheter in me, but had issues making it down to my bladder and after 2 attempts (and me crying like a little baby) they decided to utilize other methods to mitigate chemo effects on my bladder (thank God!).

Chemo was started at 7:00pm and completed 2 hours later.  They gave me meds to alleviate nausea and steroids to reduce inflammation before the chemo and I haven't experienced any issues yet.  It's expected that I'll be neutropenic (White Blood Cell (WBC) count very low and I'm vulnerable to infection) in 7-9 days, but it's only expected to last 1-2 days and then my WBC should be back up to normal.

Looking out my window it looks as if the blizzard has already started...glad I only have to make it across the street to my hotel tomorrow.  I'll probably be discharged in the afternoon sometime.  The next several days should be uneventful...I'll post the next update when there are significant changes.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support!!

My Transplant Roadmap

My transplant roadmap is outlined below:

Phase I - Pre Transplant Testing (Nov/Dec 10): — MRIs, CT scans, right heart catherization, blood work, pulmonary function tests, etc. (complete)

Phase II — Mobilization (a.k.a. priming)
31 Jan 11 - Admission to the Feinberg Pavilion at Northwestern Memorial Hospital overnight for chemotherapy.
01 Feb - I'll be discharged from the hospital after 24 hours of fluid hydration.  Five days after discharge I'll begin daily shots of neupogen (growth factor) to stimulate my blood cells to move out of my bone marrow and into my blood.
04 Feb - Lab work to check my blood count.  My blood counts are expected to be stable until approx 7 days following my moblization chemo.
07 Feb - Lab work to check my blood count.
09 Feb - Lab work to check my blood count.

Phase III — Harvest/Collection (video from Mayo clinic posted as a link that explains process)
10 Feb -  My stem cells will be collected from my blood through a process call apheresis. I'll sit in a recliner for approx 4-5 hours until sufficient stem cells are collected.
11 Feb - Backup stem cell collection day as needed.
12 Feb - Return to Hawaii and rest in preparation for conditioning and transplant.

Phase IV — Conditioning/Transplant (video from Mayo clinic posted as a link that explains process for a cancer patient.  It's a similar process, but key difference is my protocol is designed to kill my faulty immune system and not destroy cancer cells.  There is a lower dose of chemo and no radiation in my conditioning protocol.)
21 Feb - Return to Chicago.
22 Feb - PICC line placement
23 Feb - Admission to the 15th floor of the Prentice Woman's Hospital on the Northwestern Memorial campus for conditioning & transplant.  The conditioning regimen consists of 4-5 days of high dose chemotherapy to destroy my immune system.  I'll be in a private room with a special filter in the ceiling to helps clean the air.  Once chemotherapy is initiated special precautions will be taken to prevent infection.

1. Fresh flowers or plants are not allowed in my room
2. Latex balloons are not allowed as they collect dust (mylar balloons are allowed)
3. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not allowed
4. Staff and visitors must wash their hands before touching me
5. Visitors must wear masks if they have been exposed to colds.  No one with a cold or temperature should visit

~ 28 Feb - The day of the reinfusion, better known as the transplant day or day 0. I receive my stem cells  - similiar to a blood transfusion and usually this is a 15-30 minute process.
28 Feb - ??  I'll remain in the hospital and wait for my stem cells to grow (engraft).  This process usually takes 1 - 3 weeks after stem cell reinfusion.  Prior to being discharged I'll need to meet the following criteria:

1. Stable vital signs
2. Engraftment (stable blood work)
3. Able to eat 3 meals and tolerate fluids
4. No signs and symptoms of infection
5. Medically stable

Once discharged from the hospital I'll stay in Chicago for approximately 1 week for follow-up testing.

Welcome to my blog!

I've created this blog to keep family and friends updated on the status of my autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant at Northwestern Memorial hospital in Chicago.  This blog will also help explain the stem cell process for those auto immune disease patients considering this treatment option in the future.