T minus 14.............. February 19, 2008

We had our final pre-admission appointment yesterday with the lead transplant physician, Dr. Fernandez. He reviewed all of Jan’s test results, and they were all perfect. No heart, lung, liver, or kidney issues. In addition, Jan’s brother Pack was in town for his day of testing and his initial meeting with Dr. Fernandez and Becky, the lead transplant nurse. Those tests and meetings also went well. Thus, we are at T minus 14, meaning the bone marrow transplant is scheduled for March 4th, or 14 days from today. The plan calls for Pack to return next week for his daily injections of Neupogen, which is a drug used to stimulate blood cell production. On Tuesday of next week, February 26th, Jan will have her triple lumen catheter (pictured below) inserted below her left clavicle. Most of her medications and blood draws will be done via the catheter, which will remain in place for several months.

Jan will then be admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, February 27th. The chemotherapy will begin that evening and will be administered daily for about five days. On Monday, March 3rd, Jan’s brother (Pack) will have his stem cells extracted, and administered to Jan the following day. That process will be explained later as we approach T minus 1.

As Transplant Day (Day-0) approaches, Jan’s health physically is good; however the anxiety levels are increasing daily as we approach admission day. We just try to focus on the fact that each passing day is also one day closer to that day when all this will be behind us and Jan will be healthy and strong again.

100 DAYS - February 8

In the coming weeks you will see references made to “100 DAYS”. The one hundred days are an approximation of the number of days from the day of transplant to the day when Jan may be permitted to return home. Day of transplant is referred to as Day-0. All days leading up to the day of transplant are minus days, and those following the day of transplant are referred to as plus days. Currently, the tentative date for Jan to receive her bone marrow transplant is March 4th. Thus, today is Day minus twenty-five (-25). Likewise, the day following the transplant will be referred to as Day plus one (+1). This is the reference method that they will use in the hospital, so we will use the same system in our blog updates.

The past week has included two days of testing, both physical and psychological. Last Thursday and Friday included lab tests, EKG, Muga heart scan, pulmonary function tests, a psychological profile and memory test, and another bone marrow biopsy. This week included a CT-scan and more lab work. Next week Jan will have a mid-week lab test as we head toward Monday, February 18th. On that date Jan’s brother Pack will be tested, evaluated, and meet with the doctor. On the same day Jan will also have a meeting with the doctor to review the test results. Barring any complications, we expect that the March 4th transplant date will be finalized with a hospital admission the week before on February 27th. The anticipation is pretty intense. On the one hand, we want to move quickly to get this over with; but on the other hand, the fear and anxiety have us wishing for the clock to slow down. So, for now, we continue to watch the clock……….