I was admitted to University of Colorado Hospital for 4 days (8/23-27/2011) receiving the VDT-PACE Regimen of Velcade IV, Dex IV, Thalidomide Oral, Cisplastin IV, Adriamycin IV, Cytoxan IV, and Etoposide IV.
I went yesterday for a blood test and my blood is fine – being stimulated by daily Neupogen injections (total of 780 mg in 2 injections). I’m also giving myself a daily Fragmin (anti-clotting) injection. I’m taking many oral medications too including Claritin (decreases Neupogen bone pain), Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic), Acyclovir (anti-viral), Fluconazole (anti-fungal), Omeprazole (GI distress).
I will have my 3rd (whose counting?) bone marrow biopsy on 9/1/2011. They are going to try harder to get the results including the cytogenetics back more rapidly, so they will know if my scheduled stem cell harvest will be warranted beginning on 9/6/2011.
If so, I’ll harvest until I give them 10 million cells. (My 1st harvest yielded about 8 million cells over 3 days which contain 0.8 to 1.2 percent plasma cells – they have saved those cells, but we are hoping for plasma free cells in the 2nd harvest period).
I will need IV Velcade/Dex on 9/9/2011and will take oral Dex 9/10 and 9/11.
Then, I’m scheduled to be admitted to University of Colorado Hospital on 9/12/2011 for pre-transplant Melphalan IV and Velcade IV with stem cell transplant on 9/13/2011. The medicine on 9/12/2011 wipes out my bone marrow and any cancer that might be hiding and then they give you the stem cells that I harvested the second time.
I’ll be in the hospital at least 2-3 weeks and maybe longer after the stem cell transplant while my bone marrow recovers. After I’m discharged from the hospital, I will have to stay in hotel near the hospital for another 2 weeks, returning to the hospital for frequent tests.
No comments:
Post a Comment