Bloodwork & appointment with Dr. Couban

Our good friends David & Sandy Hamilton were in Dartmouth last Thursday & Friday. We all had dinner at my parents on Thursday night & then went out for breakfast on Friday morning. Afterwards, David, Sandy & I travelled together to Mahone Bay to do the tourist thing...then went for a scenic drive through Lunenburg & onto Bridgewater where I was meeting up with my sister & her family. I realized that this is the first road trip I have been on since this whole cancer thing started last September!!! We certainly picked one of the most beautiful drives in Nova Scotia!
From there, we were continuing on to spend the week-end at John & Coleen's cottage on Lake Molega. Mom, Dad (Happy Father's Day) & Sue all joined us on Saturday. We enjoyed the weather & being together.....fishing, pulling the kids on tubes behind the Jet Boat, & just cruising the lake.....
I spent most of my time in the boat, as it was the best way to stay away from the bugs....plus I found it very relaxing!!!
Thank-you to Coleen & John for being great hosts!

Monday was back to reality.....
8am. - I had to put a "Hat" in the toilet so I could collect my urine over the next 24 hours. Prior to a Stem Cell Transplant, this is a required test used to see how well my Kidneys are functioning. They have to be working OK to proceed with the SCT. This test, along with a heart and lung test will also be used as a baseline to compare with future tests after SCT. I mostly had to stick close to home Monday...because they wanted all my PEE for this Kidney Test! I did manage to take Dad out for lunch to Boondocks Restaurant in Eastern Passage....went for a short walk & ice cream after lunch......THEN back home to PEE in the "Hat"!

Now, it is Tuesday morning & I have my last PEE at 8am....actually, I cheated & went at 7:35am.....as I couldn't hold it any longer!!
At 10am......with my jug of pee, I head to the hospital for the 2nd part of this test....more bloodwork. I am still waiting to hear back from my nurse with the results...
At 11am. I have an appointment to see Dr. Couban. First, I meet with Joanne, the nurse. We review some more details about the upcoming transplant......
I discover, that because I collected so many Stem Cells, that they have to administer them back to me over 2 days....apparently, there is a limit as to how many they can give me back at one time. After, I get my Stem Cells back, I will not be allowed to leave my hospital room again until my blood counts come up to an acceptable level......that can take weeks!
I also had to review & sign a"Consent to Undergo An Autologous Blood or Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant". This form reviews all the procedures, risks and discomforts involved with the SCT....that is always fun. Nowadays, in the medical field you have to sign consent forms for every surgery or major procedure.....it is the responsibility of the hospital/physicians to inform you of all the risks involved even the minor ones....
Anyway, it can be scary....
of course the biggest risk for me is that I may die from the SCT....if you like percentages...which I don't care for too much....there is 5-10% chance that I may die from the SCT within the first 90 days following transplant due to infection, bleeding, or damage to my heart, liver, lungs or kidneys. OR you can look at it that there is a 90-95% chance that I won't die......CUP 1/2 FULL OR 1/2 EMPTY THING!!
Other risks & discomfort include: infection, bleeding, mouth pain, throat pain, diarrhea, seizures, rash, kidney failure, liver failure, and heart or lung failure. In the long-term, I probably will be unable to have children. There is also risk of secondary cancer caused by the chemo.
I may require blood and platelet transfusions. There are small risks that I have have a reaction to these transfusions that can be, very rarely, fatal. There is also a very small risk on contracting an infection such as hepatitis or HIV.

In my meeting with Dr. Couban, we again reviewed the risks on the form....however, he reminded me that our primary concern is to try & get rid of my Lymphoma.....this is the biggest risk of all!
He emphasized that he still felt that going ahead with the transplant was my best chance at remission &/or cure. He said if I went anywhere in the world for treatment....that any lymphoma doctor would be recommending the same thing to me......

So we can now move forward in confidence that this is what I need to do to have a chance at cure. I am determined to continue doing my part to take care of myself....with the food I eat & the excellent supplements I take everyday. I hope to minimize all the side effects & risks associated with the transplant so that when I am cured....I can continue living a full & healthy life.

Thank-you for all your support through this challenge.....I really need it & it does help. You are all part of my team....& one person on a team can't win the game by themselves......