Day one down

I read a book by Jim Davis "My Cancer My Faith" he wrote about the transplant process. It gave me a simple understanding of what is happening inside.

After receiving several days of high dose chemo you receive your stem cell transplant. This is very quick after your last chemo treatment. Why doesn't the chemo attack your new cells? --- Answer -- The chemo itself attaches to the fasting growing cells within 24hrs after being infused. After that period their is very little "active" chemo left in the system, most have already attached to cells and the active destruction takes place over the next 1-5 days. So when the stem cells are reintroduced into the blood stream they are relatively safe and can begin their migration into the the bone to begin the rebuilding process.

While the rebuilding begins slowly, the destruction is in high gear, so for a short period of time the body cannot replace cells as fast as they are being destructed and the count falls.

Your body is a very interesting and amazing thing. During this journey I have learned new limits and expanded some.

I am on day two in the hospital and it is a rest day. Chemo last night was difficult, but the nurses gave me good drugs to help the horrible side effects. I have always tried to do any chemo without the steroids, I hate them. But with the side effects of high dose chemo they are a welcomed necessity. So, today is a better day. Waiting for the doctor's to do their rounds. Stanford is a teaching hospital, that means rounds include a small entourage of interns. Think of Grey's Anatomy but with interns at a higher level of training already achieved. So, hurry up with the rounds, I need a walk and to explore the outside surroundings before it is isolation time.

Winston Churchill asked "What is your aim?" . . . . Victory, victory at all costs, victory inspite of all terror; victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.