Monday will be a spectacular day spent having a stem cell harvest. This consists of the following:
Arrive at St. James' at 7:30 am to be seen by a doctor and have a pipe inserted into an artery near my groin. I then hang around for hospital transport to take me to Seacroft where they do the Harvest (provided my blood count is high enough). If they have enough stem cells I go back to Jimmy's for the pipe removing. If not I get to stay in hospital another night so they can do it all again on Tuesday.
I will be 27 years old on Monday the 5th.
This is going to be a shit day, but this is the point; when I was first told '...and then we'll do a stem cell harvest...', I ask, 'how long does that take?', 'oh, about 4 hours'.
Why don't they just tell the truth? Yes the actual procedure takes 4 hours but I'm going to be there ALL day. They should just say that. It makes me wonder what other information they trickle feed to me. The stem cell transplant, with a three and half week hospital visit, will undoubtedly be a lot worse than they have let on. Not in terms of feeling sick but things like having to measure how much you piss (I had to do that previously and I hate it), and I've heard, not sure so don't quote me, that I'll be so weak that I have piss and shit in those special receptacles. It's degrading.
Just doing a Google search on 'stem cell tranplant' brings up the following nuggets (from cancerbackup.org.uk):
'This intensive treatment will completely destroy all your normal bone marrow' -mmm, nice. Sounds like a good way to help someone. To help you we are going to take you to within an inch of your life and then let/hope you recover.
This may sound so very negative but I am pissed off right now. I actually feel very positive that I am learning all I need from this cancer experience. I am really happy and looking forward to the future as well as fully enjoying (most of) now. Plus I just pianted the bedroom and it's much better, a nice healing sky blue colour.
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