Today is my 8th year Surviving Multiple Myeloma.

Today is my 8th year Surviving Multiple Myeloma. Was diagnosed June 13 2003.
8 years...can you believe it! 8 years of battle, of ups and downs and joys and hardship! Wow! At first I Honestly didn't think I'd make it this long. Not with what the Docs told me. But I'm still here and you know what? I'm gonna celebrate!

Happy Survival Anniversary to meeeeeeeee!

Keep Fighting

Yvon

Comments on Posts

Hello readers

Just as an info, if someone asks a question as a comment below my posts I always reply as a comment below it.

Besides that all is good.

Keep fighting.

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog day +54

Hello readers

I have not been blogging for a while as I took a break from the "Social Networks" while I sort out some personal stuff. Just very tired and no energy. Motivation is hard for now.

It's been 54 days already. But I have had no new Dr. appointments so don't know where things are at for now.

Not an easy feeling since you have to wait 100 days after transplant to know how well the transplant went and where the Cancer is at. But half way there.

My eyes are acting up again so it's a bit painful to see my screen clearly still.

But, never give up!

Keep fighting

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog day +33 Tips and Tricks

Hello again everyone.

33 days after transplant already. Things are getting better and better. My eyesight is back to what it used to be. Digestion is perfect and my heart seems to be getting back to normal a little more everyday. Feeling a little disappointed about yesterday's post as I expected more feedback and or comments.

Like they say, the only reason we have deceptions is because we have expectations, so It's up to me to keep on rolling no matter what. I do not Blog everyday as I had promised myself but I accept the fact that I'm not always up to it yet. I'll get there soon!

Anyway, as promise a while back, here are some tricks I tried and succeeded at.

When I got back home form the transplant my priorities were to stop the diarrhea and nausea ASAP.

So here's what I did. First I took some Imodium to slow things down the first evening. Then I started taking Psyllium right away. Psyllium has the fantastic virtues of stopping both diarrhea and or constipation. It does that by absorbing and retaining water. You can either get it in bulk at your local health food store and mix it with juice or water or go the lazy way like me and just go to your local drugstore and buy Metamucil Capsules. Psyllium is all it contains! Don't buy the powdered version of Metamucil as it contains artificial flavors and sweeteners. Take 2 capsules 3 times a day with a glass of water and make sure you drink enough throughout the day. I haven't had to take Imodium since that first evening. Psyllium really works! At least for me!

Now for the nausea, well I found that if I waited too long to eat something after getting up in the morning I would spontaneously get nausea and vomiting after just 5 minutes after getting up but with hardly anything coming out! So instead of waiting till I was done washing up and all, I started to make sure I had prepared something the evening before and either eat or drink something as soon as I would get up. And it worked perfectly! So I suggest you do the same. If you like it, simply have a bottle of Insure close by and just have a few sips to get something in your stomach ASAP. After that if it's the first few days after getting back home, make sure you eat small meals throughout the day to keep the nausea at bay! I started by eating small meals every 2 hours until I worked myself up to 3 regular meals a day. I made it and now, no more nausea and or vomiting and no more diarrhea either.

Hope this is helpful to someone!

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog: Important Questions and Answers for Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients

Hello everyone.

Long time no Post! haha! Finally my eyes are getting better and the heart rate is slowing down! So that's good news!

I received some questions from a newly diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patient. So I am using this as my post today as these questions are very important. I will not name the person until I have his permission.

So here goes:

Hi Yvon,


I've been recently diagnosed with smoldering myeloma. (15% Bone Marrow infiltrated) I'm 34 with three small kids (1,3,5).
They found the myeloma two weeks after the birth of my third son. My docs at Heidelberg give me 3 years, if I'm lucky,
till the myeloma will be active. So should better think about, what to do. Well frankly Peter 15% isn't that bad. If it was 30 or 40% then you know your in trouble. At that level, they could have done the Marrow aspiration on another location on your body and end up with a different level. (Info I got from my Oncologist). But you also need to know more about your MM (Multiple Myeloma) Which type do you have? alpha [IgA], gamma [IgG], mu [IgM], delta [IgD], or epsilon [IgE]? What is your M spike? What is your Beta-2 microglobulin at? Do you have deletion of Chromosome 13? These are all important factors that you should know and learn. The more you know about your opponent the better. Personally what I would do if I was you is get myself on Curcumin with Bioperine ASAP. I’ve had an M spike of 4.7 for 8 months just disappear...Poufff! So do not focus too much on your 15%. I was at 78% one time! And now with the new average survival rate of a newly diagnosed patient with “active” Multiple Myeloma being 8 years, add that to the 3 years they told you about you’re still around for at least 11+ years. And with all the new developments in the research for a cure. Multiple Myeloma is becoming more of a Treatable Cancer then an incurable one!

I have some questions. Perhaps you could help me a bit, that would be great:


1. After your experience would you have changed the front line treatment? I think about getting treatment in Arkansas? Would you do radical treatment to prolong the remission? Do you think treatment there is better than in Europe? Well, that’s a hard one to answer. From my experience treatments vary from one Hospital to another and even from one Oncologist to another. In a way you have to be your own doctor also. That is why you have to learn as much as possible about your disease. As for me, after my first transplant my M-Spike was still at 4.7 so they told me “Well it might disappear after the second transplant so why wont we do it now? No way I said! I was offered “Maintenance Chemo” I refused that also, and 8 months after the transplant the M-Spike disappeared! And there was no trace of MM for more then 4 years! So it was a good decision on my part.


2. How do you get your positive attitude. I'm thinking the whole day about the myeloma and the dark future. Do you have a trick, how to live your live and to deal with the fear?
I wake up and the first thing I have to think about is myeloma. That’s a pretty good one too. Well, if you think I’ve always had that attitude, you are wrong. The first 6 months after my diagnosis (June 2003) It’s the only thing I could think of day in day out! I was sort of “Shoved” into treatment because I was first admitted for sepsis and 10 days later I was told I had Stage 3 Multiple Myeloma (Had no Idea what it was then, only knew at the time that it was incurable). And then within 24 hours I had a Porth a Cath installed and my first round of Chemo right away! I was I a daze for a few months and then I said to myself “STOP” and that is was I also told the Hospital. My positive attitude was a decision I took period! So I stopped all treatments, had my Porth removed and went on the Alternative Medicine way. I wanted to be able to tell myself “At least I gave it a try”. So I did it, tried pretty much everything out there! Then I came back to Canada in June 2004. Had my first Oncology appointment In Canada August 4 2004. My Bone Marrow Infiltration as you say had went from 11% (After the Chemos in France) to 78%. So I then took the decision to go for it completely. Had more then 10 months of Chemos and my first transplant July 18 2005. Entered the Hospital with a great positive attitude. I also had a Newsletter back then describing my transplant everyday. I even filmed it but never got to transfer the tapes as my camera got stolen! I will get to it eventually, I still have the tapes! To make a long story short Peter...you have to decide to become a Fighter and only you can kick your own butt and do it! Be a Super Hero P.... P.....!!! Before I thought I was a Looser and did think this way about myself for a long time. But now I know I’m a Fighter! And who do I have to thank for that ? Multiple Myeloma!


3. Do you think, doctors do transplants better today than in 2005? I don't see, that it really gets better. Do you see progression? They are speaking myeloma a chronic disease - are you feeling they are there? Personally as far as transplant goes I have not seen any difference in treatments. Same Chemo, Same side effects. The only difference I’ve seen is the quality of the Hospital Staff but I wont elaborate on the subject. Since I know you’ve read most of my Blog, you’ll understand what I mean!


4. How are you dealing with your children and your wife? How are they feeling about your myeloma? How are you living with them? Is it a "new normal" life or a war? Well, very honestly. For my wife and Daughter, I’m their Hero! They are tremendously proud of me. But that is because of MY attitude. And they help me stay positive as I feel responsible for them. If I was always depressed and negative I know for sure it would not be so. So it’s all up to you again! Your family WILL follow you! It’s your decision to make! Of course I have ups and downs but at least I have my wife (My best friend) to talk too and the lows don’t last very long!


I hope it's okay writing you my (personal) questions. It would be very kind, if you are honest to me. Sometimes I'm so desperate, I can't tell you. So I reach out and talk to some colleagues of our exclusive club. ;-)

Of course it’s OK. That is what keeps me going, Helping others with the experience I’ve been through.

Thank you very, very much!!! You are very welcome and I thank YOU for your questions. This will help others! If you do not mind I will use these questions for my next Post on my Blog. It’s up to you if you allow me to post your name or not.

Keep Fighting

Yvon Papillon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog 25 days after Transplant Check-up Day!

Good News and Challenges!

Hello readers.

Well, last Tuesday Feb 22 was my Check-Up day at the Hospital where I got my Transplant. It was a long day. 6 1/2 hours at the Hospital and 5 1/2 hour drive! Man was I tired when I got back.

On a personal level it was a Fantastic day. Every time I go to the Hospital I don't really think about the appointment itself but "What can I do to either make people laugh or change their mind about Cancer"

I succeeded at both! First I asked my wife to draw a big smile with a tongue sticking out on my mask. Had to where one, might as well use it! Got lots of laughs and smiles from that. But still wanted to do more. And it came to me on it's own! After one hour sitting down in the waiting room, a gentleman sat right front of me. He stared at me for a while. I thought it was the mask but after a while he just blurted out to me "How long have you had this?" 8 years I replied. Then he rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. His second question was "What was your first prognosis?" 6 months to 1 year 1/2 I told him! He shook his head staring at the floor again. Then he told me that he had some kind of incurable form of Melanoma and they told him he had only 4 to 6 months to live a year ago. He had tried Chemo but it didn't work, so he went on a trial Protocol and...it worked. He told me that he was so sure he was going to die shortly that he took an early retirement but instead of a monthly paycheck he took a lump sum and almost spent it all...! I asked him to show me where he had his expiration date tattooed? He stared at the floor again saying he wasn't too proud of himself about that. To make a long story short, after talking with him for about 15 min. His name was called out, he stood up, shook my hand and thanked me for changing his mind about Cancer and said that he would make an appointment with his financial advisor to make at least a 3 year plan with what he has left.

Lesson to be learned her for all of you Cancer Fighters: Do not listen to Prognosis. You do not have an expiration date written anywhere! Keep Fighting with all you have.

I have a Twitter follower named Madison  Carlista who was diagnosed with Advanced Cervical Cancer with a Prognosis of 3 to 6 months..... That was 9 years ago! So, Never give up! And get a second opinion if you don't like what you hear!

So now, what about the rest of my Check-Up day:

Blood work results were pretty impressive according to the head Nurse and the Oncologist. The Check-Ups are suppose to be weekly for a few months after the transplant. But since everything (Almost) is OK with no nausea or diarrhea my next appointment is in 6 weeks! Whooohooo!

Now for the Challenge: Well my heart isn't doing so well for now! Blood pressure too low and heart rate way too high. Example: Blood pressure this morning 90 over 53! Heart rate at rest 105, Showering 147, getting dressed 125! So I was told to consult with a cardiologist ASAP. But here ASAP can take a while. I finally got an appointment whit a GP next week who will then refer me to a Cardiologist. Until then I was told not to even go for a walk outside. "I still do it anyway but not for very long and always accompanied" It's just to catch some Sun and see the River!

Low Blood pressure on the long run can affect all your organs from the lack of oxygen. Right now it's affecting my eye sight quite a bit. My prescription glasses don't work anymore and I'm constantly squinting so Even Blogging is an effort cause I can hardly see my screen!

But as I wrote, it's just another challenge for me. It's a problem so automatically there has to be a solution.

At least I'm at home and I don't have to go back to Montreal for 1 month and 1/2!

My next post will be about tips and tricks I found but for now that's all the energy I have and my eyes are killing me!

Thanks for reading.

Never give up and Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 18-19.....Travelling Back in time!

Hello again!

Traffic to the Blog has gone Wayyyy down. I feel like I'm letting people down for not posting everyday but I'm doing my best here ! Not going to give up!

Anyway, let's pretend that we go back in time again.

This is Feb 7 2011.

Finally figured out why the diarrhea is still there. Acyclovir! Found out that the most common side effects are Nausea and diarrhea...Duh! I finally convinced the Doctor (after 4 days trying) to give me Imodium to slow things down.

Besides that I slept most of the day. Didn't even watch TV or anything.

Numbers for that day....Neutrophils for sale:

WBC  7.54
Hgb    110
Platelets 39...rising!
Neutrophils....8.92 (Normal range 1.6 to 7.7)

Went to bed at 9 again and slept through the whole night!

The next day Feb 8 2011, I woke up telling myself " Why the heck I'm I still here"

So that was my first question for the Doctor that morning at 9AM.
Answer: "Well, we want to make sure you eat enough".............WHAT???
Are you kidding me I replied. You keep me here for that when everything here tastes like cardboard and expect me to eat enough. Well I put my foot down and said "I want to go home NOW!" My wife is a French Chef,  I'll eat much better at home.

The Doctor left with a strange look on his face! I was really pissed off (excuse my language).

Numbers for that day:

WBC  7.54.....Normal!
Hgb    110...a little low but not a problem!
Platelets 51.....still rising!
Neutrophils   6.09...back i the normal range!

The Doctor came back at 11 after consulting with the other oncologists and said right away: You are going home today! We just need to ween you off the TPN and one more bag of Acyclovir. That should only take about 2 hours. Yahoooooo!

Man was I happy. That was day 19 after admission! You can count this 3 ways as I see it. If I count it like the first time. That is from  my first dose of Melphalan ( did not get Palifermin on my first Transplant, just Melphalan the day I was admitted) so that would be day 15, just 4 days more then my first Transplant. If you count it like they do, it's Day+11 after Transplant! Pretty good!
We got home at 8:30PM. Haaaaa, the feeling was FANTASTIC.

Everything seems so long when your in the Hospital but once you're out of there it seems like it went by in the blink of an eye! Felt very grateful. I admit, I cried I was so happy.

That will be my post for today.

Tomorrow Feb 22 is my check up day in Montreal 2 1/2 hours away. Missed the last one because of a snow storm. |So  I'm not sure if I'll be Blogging or not. But my next Post will be on my first days at home and how we solved the Nausea and Diarrhea whit in 24 hours.

Thanks for reading.

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 17.....Travelling Back in time!

Hi everyone!

I'm finally awake! lol

Man, I thought I was tired before, now I'm re-tired!!!

Anyway, let's move back in time and pretend that it's Feb 6 2011.

Wake up feeling like crap again and very tired. But cant wait to get my Blood Work results. Still feeling nauseous and have Diarrhea. Not much appetite but I eat fruit salads, yogurt and stuff like that. They decide to put me on TPN (total parenteral nutrition). See Wiki for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenteral_nutrition

I dont really like the idea! Why I was put on this is because I do not eat enough according to them. No kidding!!! Well  let me tell you that this is my 8th hospital stay in 8 different Hospitals and the food here is just truly AWFUL! It's all reheated stuff. And it's not just me. It's their no 1 complaint at this Hospital. The Hospital where I got my first transplant is just 1 mile away and I was told that the patients there eat an average of 30% more! No kidding!

Great news though, Guess what my Neutrophils  just 10 days after transplant are at? 6.23...Wow! 0.51 yesterday!

And to say I had a talk with a nurse 2 days ago about my numbers climbing already and she said it would go back down, it was just a twitch. But I did not believe her, I know my body. Numbers Jumped up just like my first Transplant. Yahoooo!

So, Blood counts:
WBC 7.29
Hgb  110
Platelets 31 ....a little low!
Neutrophils 6.23, Bingo!

I slept through most of that day. My only thoughts were: I wanna go Home....... ET go home!

Nothing much more happened that day. I knew I was on my way back and did it again. Felt Proud of myself!

Went to bed at 9.

Thanks for reading again.

Catch you tomorrow for day 18.

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog, Back Home

Hello everyone.

Well, excuses, excuses, excuses! Sorry for not posting!

Reason, well I got back home Tuesday night. Didn't sleep too well. Too happy to be home I guess. So on Wednesday I rested and slept between meals....Man it's good to be Home.
Thursday was a FANTASTIC day spent with my 20 year old beautiful Daughter.
Here is a Pic:

She is my pride and Joy. But I over did it that day and ended up sleeping all day Friday and this morning too. Catching up on lost sleep from the Hospital I guess!

So now I am re reading my notes to get everything in order to Blog about the rest of the Hospital stay and I will have some tips and tricks to share soon.

Until then....Keep Fighting!

I'm going for a nap again! ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog, Back Home

Hello Everyone.

This is just a quick post to let you know that I've been back home since Tuesday 8:30PM.

I not going to blog much more today as I have my 20 year old daughter who is coming to visit. I do not see her very often so I wont spend my time on the computer.

But please check back tomorrow for all the Juicy details from thew past 5 days.

Keep Fighting! I did and I won again!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 16

Wake up little Stem Cells...Wake up....I wanna go home!

Well today still feeling like crap but!!! Neutrophils are on the rise...Hiiiiiii Haaaaaaaa!

No need for platelets today . Still nauseous and very tired but the good news is Awesome.

Counts for today:

WBC  0.82
Hemoglobin 106
Platelets 38
Neutrophils........0.50!

I am also felling periods of lower back pain but that is a side effect from Neupogen. It's a good sign that it's doing it's job.

Besides that, the rest of the day I rest,rest,rest! Very important.

That's it for today. I know it's a short one but I'll catch up when the Brain end energy are a little better. Any day now!

I also have 237 emails in my inbox to take car of!

Thank you all for reading.

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 13-14-15

Hello to you all.

First I'd like to apologies for not blogging for the past 3 days.
Wednesday, no Internet connection because of the snow storm.
Thursday, No Brain connection because numbers were so low. haha

And today, well I am receiving my first Platelet infusion of my life, I  just see it as another life experience. The bag of platelets to my surprise if the color of Mango juice.

Despite all of this. By this I mean all the nausea and diarrhea and tiredness. To my great joy I still make people laugh. I was told today that I was the funniest patient the Chaplin had ever met. By the  way  call him Charly..Chaplin!

Hopefully energy will be better tomorrow. As there are some subjects that I'd like to Blog about.

NEUTROPENIA:
No it's not a far away Planet. It's when your Neutrophils are at their lowest. Yesterday the were at 0.01!
So I'm Neutropenic.

Yesterdays numbers:
WBC 0.15
RBC 3.31
Hgb 111
Platelets 32
Neurophils 0.01

Today
WBC  0.21
RBC  3.41
Hgb  116
Platelets 21
Neutrophils 0.05

Moral still 200%.

That's all for today.  Peace and Prosperity to you all Neutrophillians!

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 12

Hello everyone.

Today I thought I'd write simply about my day so far.

Morning started at 5 AM with Blood Work
8:30 Vitals plus blood work results.
9:00 Meds + added Pentoloc for terrible heart burn. Seems to be doing it's job finally!
9:15 Breakfast
10:00 Nurse visit to see how I'm feeling. OK!
10:30 Meet with Cardiologist for irregular and high heart rate.
11:10 Meet with Docs to talk about Meds adjustments.
12:00 Meal......At least that's what they call it!!!!
13:20 Student Doctor Exam!
14:00 Shower!
And now on the Internet for the past hour.

Blood work results:

WBC 0.47
Hgb   122
Platelets  77
Neutrophils  0.40

As you can see numbers have come way down. Not much of an immune system left, so, extra careful not to catch anything. Numbers should start raising again any day now.

Besides that feeling OK. No more nausea but still diarrhea.

I heard from the Docs that they will put me on a cardiac holter Monitor for 24 hours just to check my heart out carefully. Not quite sure if that's today or tomorrow.

I do feel tired but with those numbers it's understandable.
This is my 12th day here so far. I was told my stay would probably be another 10 days approx. Sure can't wait to go home. I received my Cells 4 days ago. I'm Cheering them on the best I can!

That will be it for today. Going for a nap.

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 11

Hello Everyone.

Sorry for not Blogging much yesterday. Just too tired. Feeling a little better today. I feel like a Lion in a cage in here. Can't Wait to go back home. I keep imagining myself in my living room next to the fireplace just "being there"! Just a little more patience....Ommmmmmmmm! haha!

Besides that, physically still a little nausea and diarrhea but allot less then 3 days ago. I go for my daily walk on the hospital floor with a Mask for protection of course. But I do it everyday. There is also a tiny bicycle. I do 15 min. every 2 days now. Exercise has been proven to accelerate recovery, so keep moving. Of course I don't always feel like it but I still push myself to do it.

Appetite is still not quite there yet. I do eat a little but not much for the last few days. Mostly Fruit salad, soups, porridge and Boost drinks to compensate. It's like I wrote before "The greatest diet in the world"!

I have to be grateful for my Wife who takes care of so many little details. Having a Picc Line makes it a little harder to shower. Having to wrap the upper left arm with plastic and tape so no water goes on the dressing for the Picc Line. So I have to leave my left arm up while showering just to be on the safe side. While still being hoocked up to Gertrude my dancing partner!

If you read this and are scheduled for a Hospital stay like me, bring a good deodorant soap because you end up smelling pretty weird with the Chemo and also from the Preservatives that your Stem Cells have been bathing in while frozen. As soon as you start receiving the cells you can actually taste it. I can't find a way to describe the taste or the smell. My wife says it smells like Artichokes!?! Ok...sure didn't taste like it! lol

So, here are the numbers for today:

WBC   2.71
Hgb    121
Platelets 108
Neutrophils 2.63

As you can see if you compare from day to day it's pretty much a roller coaster for now!

Well, I will try to eat something now!

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 10

Good afternoon to you all.

Well today I took a day off sort of. Just slept more then usual. Feeling tired. i was asked how long my hospital stay would be. I have no idea so far!

I took the time to shave my head off today, That way I won't end up with hair all over the place.

Here is the result:

Ya, I know I've looked better! Gotta go with the flow. Another temporary physical side effect! Doesn't bother me at all. I find it Funny!

Besides that not much new today. Blood work results show that the Neupogen is already working if you compare it to yesterday's results.

WBC  10.94

Hgb   120

Platelets 139

Neutrophils  10.82

I was told that Neutrophils should go back down though. We will see.

Catch you tomorrow.

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 9

Happy Saturday to you all.

As promised I will share some pictures with you guys.

First of all, let me introduce to you Gertrude, My dancing partner for the next few weeks:

She beeps once in a while but besides that she is a sweetheart!
The next one is the nurse inspecting my Picc Line:

Picc Line looks fine so let's prepare the Melphalan Chemo:

You can see by the way the nurse dresses up with full face mask and all. That shows you how Toxic the Melphalan can be! I asked her if she was about to solder something?!? lol

Next, well it's me getting the Chemo...gotta keep smiling!

And the last one is just me Blogging:

Have to keep your mind Busy!

Besides that feeling not too bad. Still Nausea and a little diarrhea. Still have alot of heartburn though!

But this is all a question of time before it all gets back to normal. I guess that's why we are called "Patients".

Numbers for today:

WBC 3.08

Hgb  121

Platelets  168

Neutrophils 2.85

My Potassium levels were a little low yesterday and today too so I am getting Potassium supplements intravenously today.

Oh ya , Have you noticed the Award I received! Up left corner. Pretty proud of that!

Well that's it for now. Might Blog later.

Have a great weekend.

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 8

Hello Friends.

Well, finally got my stem cells back. Very happy about that! Now they are warm and cosy at home!!!

The procedure went very well. Still a little nausea from the Chemo but not as bad as yesterday.
Now I just have to wait for the cells to migrate to the bone marrow and become whatever they need to be!

Blood counts for today:

WBC  3.54
Hgb   124
Platelets 183
Neutrophils 3.24

Slowly going down. Tomorrow I will start the Neupogen to help the Stem Cells .
Tomorrow I will also share some pictures my wife took while I was getting the Chemo.

That's it for now.

Keep Fighting

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 7

Hello everyone.

Well today was my "Day off" like they said. I've had better days off  believe me. The side effects of the Chemo kicked in last night. Nausea BIG Time.The next days will be the toughest ones but this is all temporary.  The Anti nausea meds make me very sleepy and drowsy. So the energy I had ordered today is Back Order. lol

Her are the Numbers from this morning blood work.

WBC  4.79
Hgb   126
Platelets  184
Neutrophils 4.16 (Higher then yesterday, weird!)

Tomorow is the big day. Should get my Stem cells around 10AM.

I will also get Allopurinol. It's a drug that helps eliminate faster all the dead cells killed by the chemo and lower the uric acid in my Blood. You will find more accurate info on this on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allopurinol

Moral is still 200%. It's only my Body that is sick, not my Spirit!

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 6

Good evening Fighters

Well so far so good! Pretty much all the side effects from the Palifermin are gone.

Finally had my first good night sleep last night. Felt much better this morning. Had my second round of High Dose Melphalan at 11 am. Went very well again. Had a little nausea last night but that's it so far.

Blood counts are starting to lower quickly. So they moved me in an isolation room this afternoon.

WBC going down now at 4.72
Hemoglobin going down now at 132
Platelets also Now at 194
Neutrophils at 3.85

That was this morning. Numbers will most likely be much lower tomorrow. I'm happy the Melphalan is over with! Probably my last High dose Melphalan for this life! Appetite has decreased allot. Still have to eat though. Lots of protein rich meals to minimize muscle loss. Feeling physically tired tonight of course but that is normal. But the Moral is 200%! Today was a busy one again! Funny thing though. The toilet broke again in my old room! Glad to be out of there!

Thanks for reading.

With no Chemo tomorrow I should have more energy and time  to Blog.

Keep Fighting!

Yvon

Stem Cell Transplant Blog Day 5

Good evening my friends.

 

Well, finally got the Internet connection solved! Total access!

 

So today I received my first round of Melphalan at 11 am. No side effects so far. Probably thanks to the Zofran (Anti Nausea Medicine).

 

I did have a nice conversation with the pharmacist yesterday or as they call him here “The Master of the Meds.” about the Pros and Cons of  Palifermin. The reason why, well personally I find that the side effects from this medication are worst then having sores in your mouth like I had during my first transplant.

 

To my surprise he agreed with me and himself was questioning the usefulness of this medication. This medication has only been around for less then 5 years and is still in it’s trial period. The average wholesale price of Palifermin is approximately $1700 per 6.25 mg vial dose. Pretty expensive stuff!

 

So conclusion. He cancelled the next 3 doses that I was suppose to get as I posted yesterday.

 

I’d rather suck on ice cubes during the Chemo and he also told me that this was very effective.

He suggested that I start this half an hour prior to the Chemo, During the Chemo and about 15 minutes after. So that’s what I did this morning. I have to admit that I was a little nervous prior to the Chemo but everything went very well.

 

Tomorrow same plan But Coumadin (Blood thinner) will be added the the chemo to prevent Blood cloths around the Picc Line.

 

Then Thursday I will be moved to the isolation room and start Acyclovir (Antiviral Drug) for prevention and also Zofran .

 

Friday my little baby cells will be given back to me. They have been frozen for 7 years, I bet they can’t wait to get out of that cold spell!

 

Saturday will be added Neupogen injections daily Neupogen is a granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. In other words it stimulates the bone marrow to increase production of neutrophils.

 

The injections of  Neupogen will continue daily until the numbers start to climb up again.

 

I have to apologize for not answering my emails to all of you who have written to me. I’ll be catching up on this as soon as possible.

 

I have to thank LLS Canada (La Société de leucémie et lymphome du Canada) and Illumine La Nuit Quebec for posting on Facebook for me. Also thank you to Gabi Vermaak and Denis P. Muller.(Also Cancer Fighters) for Tweeting for me on Twitter for the past 5 days. Now I'm Back online!

 

Also thank you to CanSupport for the Free TV in my room and also for the Parking Pass so my Wonderful wife can visit daily. Greatly appreciated.  At $18 dollars a day I could not afford it.

 

Thank you little Angels!

 

So this will be my post for today. I’ll go and take care of some of those emails.

 

Keep Fighting!

 

Yvon