My Bone Marrow Transplant: Day -3

LOCATION: Vanderbilt University Hospital - Stem Cell Unit
DATE: 8.11.12    DAY: -3
MOOD:  Good spirits, calm,
MENTAL STATE: Clear headed, more alert.
PHYSICAL STATE: No pain, slightly congested as though I had a case  of allergies.

Around 12:30 I woke up feeling very stuffy headed.  My face and neck were red and felt warm to the touch.  It seemed as though I had a full blown allergy attack in my head.  Sore throat, itchy ears, pressure behind my eyes, and a dripping nose.  The nurse on duty said it was just another reaction to the medicine I was on but gave me an oxycodone to help with the aches.  My entire body felt very full of fluid and my joints ached.  I raised my bed up slightly to elevate my head and it really helped clear the congestion out of my sinus cavities.

I was still awake when labs were drawn around 1:00 and I was too miserable to sleep.  I worked on the laptop for awhile and was still awake at 4:00a when the nurse came back to check my weight and vitals.  One thing I've learned is to not plan on having a normal sleeping pattern while in the hospital.  I sleep when I can no matter what time of the day it is and I don't feel bad about sleeping for a couple of hours in the middle of the day.

My attending doctor, Dr. Savani came to see me again around 7:30 along with his fellow and an LPN.  He was concerned about the amount of fluids I was retaining and ordered more Lasix to be given throughout the day.  I have gained probably 10lbs since I checked in on Wednesday, all of it fluid gain.  I told them I had walked 3 miles the day before and they were glad to hear it.  Both doctors laughed at my ability to walk that much as it apparently told them all they needed to know about how I was feeling.

Breakfast came around 8:30 and I dug in knowing I'd need all the energy I could get to help me feel my best.  Afterwards, I felt well enough to walk, so I got dressed for the day and put on my solid walking shoes.  Forty-five laps and 35 minutes later, I felt better for having exercised.   Walking the halls with an IV stand is an acquired ability.  I made sure to wear a solid shoe as from time to time my foot managed to kick the IV stand causing me to stumble.  It probably doesn't help that I'm able and feel well enough to do a bit of power walking as I go.  Crowded hallways can be challenging, but I tried to walk as fast as I am able.

Around 10:00a, after my walk, I sat in a chair to catch up on my blogging and around 11:00a my nurse brought me another round of Lasix.  For the next hour and fifteen minutes, I made six trips to the bathroom.  Inconvenient, yes, but I could really tell the difference in how my body felt after ridding myself of the extra fluid.

At 12:30, my premeds for the second round of Thymo were given to me and my nurse changed and cleaned the bandages over the port area on my chest.  There was no pain other than the feeling of having a really good band-aid ripped off my skin.  A little scrubbing and tugging was all I felt and I'm sure the haze of the Benadryl she had given me earlier helped me to feel more relaxed than I might have otherwise.  Changing and cleaning of bandages are iffy as the solution they use to clean the open wound can have quite a bit of sting.  Thankfully, whatever solution my nurse used didn't hurt a bit.

Lunch was brought around 1:00p but I was still in a Benadryl haze so didn't touch it until 2:00p.  After yesterday's near starvation, I figured cold food was better than no food.  My nurse drew labs from my port during my lunch to make sure all the drugs they had given me were playing nicely together.

Another round of steroids came around 4:30.  Steroids and Benadryl serve the same purpose; to make sure any type of reactions to the drugs are minimized and controlled.  So far, the Cytoxan and Thymo were treating me nicely.  Other than the sunburned red-faced look I was sporting, I felt relatively normal.

The evening was spent napping, reading, working on the laptop, and getting 34 more laps of exercise in.  Another 3 miles walked.  All the redness and heat in my face was gone by the early evening and I felt excellent.

Premeds for the Cytoxan were given at 9:15p and the chemo started at 10:00p.

Ending the fourth day of this process has me amazed at how well I truly feel.