How the day numbering works...

If you noticed I started the last post with "Day -10". Today is day MInus 10. Right now we are counting down to Day "0". Day 0 is the day I get the Stem Cell Transplant which is July 10th. After that July 11 will be Day 1

Recovery after Transplant is broken down in stages Day 1 to 15, Day 15 to 30, all the way to Day 100. We will elaborate further as we enter that phase.

Another day of tests..

Day -10.  Today was a lighter day of tests. An EKG, PVT (Pulmonary), CT, and Chest Xray. The tests were scheduled to start at 8 and finish by 2pm. The people here are real cooperative and they got me in earlier than my appt times so I was able to get it all done by 10 am. That was nice. 

Tommorow is just one doctor consult in the afternoon, so we get to rest in the morning.

 

And the blood type is...

Mark's blood type is A negative 

The donor's blood type is O positive.

When Mark's new immune system matures, his blood type will change to O+ like the donor. - Susan

And the donor is...

Today, we saw Kate and she gave us some donor demographic information.  The donor is male and 20 years old.

She said males have more stem cells, but females show up to appointments more reliably. - Susan

Susan: Introduction

This is my first post as the wife.  I will post when Mark is unable.

Also, Mark thinks that I will be the human interest side of the transplant.

Testing Day 1...

Day -11.  Today was first day of tests as well as doctor consults. Started with an Echo and then blood. It was a record setting day for me. They took 34 vials of blood. I asked if they were giong to leave any blood for me.

Finished off the day with a bone marrow biopsy. Always such fun. Tommorow more tests.

Made it to Houston...

The plane ride went as scheduled. Had a car service waiting. Made it to Rotary House in time for breakfast.

Neither one of us got much sleep last night. Time for a late morning nap....

Packing up to go....

Susan and I are mostly packed and ready to go Sunday. We have a 6AM plane so that is not fun.

MD Anderson has a full list of tests for next week as well as doctor consultations. They will be checking Heart, Blood, Lungs, and Bone Marrow Biopsy. They are even doing a CT scan. I asked what they are scanning, figuring it would be my back or bone marrow. It turns out they will CT my head so they can check my sinuses to be sure I do not have a cold started. They Truly leave no stone unturned. 

A Slot Date of July 10th has been set...

 I received some great news from Kate at MD Anderson. I have officially been given a slot date of July 10th.

This timeline works well for us, as we already have a flight scheduled for June 28th. Following my discussion with Kate last week regarding the four available donors, she outlined the next steps: I will undergo outpatient testing with results expected by July 3rd. If everything looks good, I will begin the pre-transplant chemotherapy drugs then.

I was surprised to learn that my doctor will be administering the pre-transplant chemotherapy on an outpatient basis. Although I expressed concern about the side effects, Kate assured me that I should be fine. She did note that I will likely feel quite poorly for a while after the stem cell transplant on the 10th. However, a major advantage of the Orca Trial is that it aims for a better outcome with a less intensive chemotherapy regimen beforehand.

They say the date of a stem cell transplant is like a second birthday. Since I had my heart transplant on January 29, 1993, July 10th will mark my third birthday and the official start of "The Double Bonus Round."