First we had labs. His WBC continue to increase because of the steroid...increasing only to plummet later. ANC therefore is also increasing. Platelets saw a slight dip and the Hg also saw a slight dip. Rebecca (Andy just confirmed through MyChart that was her name :-) ) was a little more in the camp that Andy would likely need a blood transfusion at some point, regardless of how high his Hg currently is. Pot, Mag, and Cr all hanging where they should be. I loved that right on our board Rebecca had written the threshold of numbers for needing any additional transfusions!
Rebecca indicated that she had placed the call to the CPL and our cells were on their way (that's Cell Processing Lab 😏) and would need to thaw for about 90 minutes.
Rebecca also warned Andy that the DMSO used to preserve the cells can make him smell like garlic or sweet corn for about 24 - 48 hours post transplant. She said the cells were getting a good bath before the transfusion, but there was only so much washing they could do without running the quality of the cells. Spoiler - You guys. He REALLY smells like sweet corn...like cream corn actually. And HE can't smell it...but we can. It's SO strange. Obviously he hates this, but seriously, it could be SO much worse.
Rebecca indicated Andy's cell bag was 180 mL which would take about 30-40 minutes for infusion. You know...a life saving treatment...all completed in 30 - 40 minutes....
We mentioned Andy's hiccups....yes, that's right, hiccups. He is having terrible hiccups as a result of the Dex. Like, up all night hiccups. When Dr. A (THE Dr. A) came to see us, he prescribed Andy something he could take tonight if the hiccups keep him up. THANK GOODNESS. Nothing good happens when you are up all night. An easy side effect of treatment...but super irritating none the less.
We talked about Andy's prescriptions and what he can take and what he can't take for pain. And we talked about how Andy cannot floss because it could cause his gums to bleed which could cause infection. SERIOUSLY, we learn something new each day! No probiotics. No prebiotics. It's all bacteria Andy's system can't tolerate right now, but yogurt is OK. (Do you care about any of this information? No. Of course you don't! But I told you, the blog is for me...and some day, years and years and years from now, this will all be fascinating to look back on!)
We learned our appointment for tomorrow is at 7:30 and we could anticipate that one to be rather short. And actually through the weekend should be rather short too.
And then our cells arrived! I kinda feel like they should have arrived on a little golden pillow. In fact, I'm actually surprised they didn't because everyone was real excited when they came in and Rebecca said - do you want to take a picture with them? Ummmm, yeah I do!
So they got Andy all hooked up, started the infusion and started the process of taking vitals every 15 minutes. Rebecca was in the room with us the entire time...just in case...and talking with her made time go by very fast. Because all of a sudden. It was over!
We then had a two hour observation period. I ran down to the cafeteria to get us something to eat and among eating, watching March Madness (too bad about Louisville!), and working, two hours flew by! And then Rebecca came in and said - OK, that's it. See you tomorrow.
Same feeling I had when they discharged me from the hospital with Eleanor and then with Oliver. Like - what? We just go home now? Rebecca read our expression right away and acknowledged how weird it is to receive life saving treatment (that phrase again!!) and just go home!
Andy and I got in the elevator to leave and I was JUST about to take our picture and two women joined us. I thought it'd be weird to take a picture, so I didn't.
And then we drove home. And now we're going to eat dinner. And then we're going to watch some TV. And inside Andy's body, there is one hell of a show going on!
So. Day 0. We are OFFICIALLY on our way to remission now.
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