Round 2

Yesterday marked the official beginning of round 2. I got to be on the receiving end of a large needle into my spinal cord, but thankfully, my hem/onc doc is really good at this particular kind of intrathecal chemo and with the help of a little happy juice, felt no discomfort at all. She has earned my trust with some of these less than pleasant procedures. And I got to watch her go toe-to-toe with another hem/onc doctor from the Huntsman. I know she’s got my back…even if she’s putting a needle in it. It’s not the same thing as being stabbed in the back although it sure looks like it! I got the ok to floss my teeth and shave until my numbers dip again. Since my hair hasn’t fallen completely out, I trimmed it down, but it’s uncomfortable to wear a knit cap. It has this way of pushing the hair stubble against the grain as the cap is settling in. I’d rather wear a knit cap while sleeping instead of a ball cap since there’s the brim, of course, but hey, I’m working through the fun.  My whiskers had been falling out as well, but since things have come to a halt on the deforestation, I shaved them all off and I suspect I won’t have to pull out a razor for some months to come.

Today, I got a heavier dose of the Cyterabine. I get a concentrated dose every 12 hours and then I’m free of the IV pole. The goal here is to drive my white count back down to nutropenic levels and then when my neutrophils recover, then I go home until either the bone marrow donor is ready or my next 28-day cycle starts.  So, it really comes down to how my body responds to the chemo and recovers. Suffice it to say, I am hoping that I’m back in my own digs VERY soon. Yeah, I do like the people here and the food is pretty good, but I’m kinda partial to my own four walls instead of these institutional ones.

My transplant application has been forwarded to Washington, DC and my name is now officially on the radar in Seattle, so it’s now the official military “hurry up and wait” game. From my standpoint, I just want this over and done and since I’m pretty white bread Caucasian, my wait time will probably not be too long, but I’ve been advised that it could be a matter of months, so I’m weighing the realistic with the part of me that just wants this to be done.

I had the same nurse with the twisted sense of humor today and that kept me smiling. She had an assistant whom she was training, whom I found had spent some time in France, so it looks like I’ll have someone with whom I can practice my fragmented French. Language is something you remember like riding a bike, but if you don’t use it, you get rusty.

The quiet, boring day is a good one, medically, but of course I’m itchin’ to be productive and involved. We’ll get there and thankfully, I’m able to work with my company to stay involved. Thankfully, I have some things that I can work on and stay a part of things.

That tonight’s entry is rather short is a good thing. You can be sure that something will arise to keep things interesting, but for today, it’s mercifully boring.  And that’s a good thing! Today's music video is another throwback to the 80s when music videos were in their infancy. Hold On by Kansas.

Be well, stay strong, and much love to you all J