The Game Is On

Good news. Dr. Khouri said that the questions from two weeks ago are cleared up and I am ready for the transplant.

I got the first round of pre-transplant chemo today after seeing Dr. Khouri. I only got Rituxan today, which is a mono-clonal antibody that goes after the diseased B cells. Rituxan is not too bad on you, so I'm doing fine tonight. It was a long day, though.

Tomorrow I get the CVC put in my chest. CVC stands for central venous catheter. It is a line that goes in one of the main veins to your heart. It is a triple line that allows them to put multiple fluids directly into your heart for distribution to the body. Sounds a little gross, but I have had eight PICC lines over the last couple of years. And a PICC line is similar to the CVC but it is inserted under the upper arm instead of the chest. They use an ultrasound machine to help locate the target vein so they don't miss. It's all tolerable. You just have to keep the dressing changed and the lines flushed out with a fluid called Heparin, an anti-coagulant. The CVC will stay in until I get to come home.

I go into the hospital on Saturday evening. And next week I will get chemo for four days. The stem cells are scheduled for Friday, September 1. So I should be good to go for the ballgame Saturday. No golf for a while, though.