ICE chemo until my PET scan is clean: that's the plan.
But the incidence of Hodgkin's returning under my circumstances is uncomfortably high. However, there is a procedure that minimizes the return rate significantly: a megadose of chemo to more or less wipe out my entire immune system.
To shorten the recovery time of such a procedure, I will first lie in a bed for five hours while my blood is cycled out of my body and then back in. The plan is to harvest blood stem cells, which are made in the marrow and need to be tricked out with a series of shots.
Blood stem cells are more differentiated than the controversial embryonic stem cells you hear about.
My stem cells will be given back to me after superchemo to aid recovery. Still, there will be serious side effects and a longer period of neutropenia. I will be hospitalized for about a month.
If all goes well, this goes down mid-late August. It's important to have something to look forward to. Since Supervacation was a bust, this is what 2012 has to offer instead.
4 comments:
You are one of two strongest people I know. I think you know that, but it bears repeating.
Agreed, Axldemic. Thinking about you all the time, Scott. And please keep me posted re. August - we need to see each other regardless of where you are!! Plus I've missed your other chemo parties..
Robin -- it has been a pretty poppin' time at Scott's chemo parties so far. Mostly he whines that if we weren't there, he'd be able to play video games in peace. I hope I get to see you when you're in Boston!
Scott has video games in his hospital room? Dude, what have you even been complaining about then?
Hope to see you too, Rosalie!
Post a Comment