IT'S A GO !!!!!

Just got the word from the doctor in Omaha at the transplant center that Dad has been given the go ahead to FINALLY start the stem cell procedure! Things will begin on this upcoming Monday and it looks like it will be a full schedule for the week. Dr. Bierman's assistant will be emailing us a full schedule either tomorrow or Friday. The basics are this: Monday Dad will have a bone marrow biopsy, Tuesday he will have an echocardiogram stress test (on the treadmill), Thursday he will get the first Neupogen shot (to get those stem cells out of their cozy little home in the marrow and into the bloodstream) (this is similar to the Neulasta shot), and on Friday Dad will get his other port/catheter put in...that is for the stem cell harvesting part and also the actual transplant. There will be a lot of other things going on during the week, but those are the main events. I will be taking a class as part of my co-operative care caregiver sometime during that week also.

So that's week 1. On Monday of week 2, they will start the stem cell harvesting. I will have plenty of information for all of you then...and I promise some pictures. At the end of that week they will start 6 days of chemo and the day after that is completed is the actual stem cell transplant. It takes around 10 days after the transplant for the blood to BEGIN to recover from everything so that will be another 2 or so weeks of recovery.

Next week and the following week Dad is an outpatient and we will be staying at Laura and John's house. Laura & John, thank you SO MUCH for letting us stay there. That is so nice to know we have a nice, comfy place to stay. After that 2nd week, Dad will be an inpatient and admitted to the hospital for the rest of the time...that's where we will be doing the co-operative care set-up. I will explain more about that later.

For now, we will be celebrating the fact that this is finally happening! Thanks to all of you for your good thoughts and prayers...they are all greatly appreciated!