Post-Transplant Day 2

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God. For all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

I Peter 1:23-25

The vaporous, metallic taste of heparin. The essence of creamed corn that was my first perception of the transplant. The austere yet futuristic features of the stark hallway that I walk for 15 minutes at least three times each day—okay, I try to walk three times each day. The wide glass and metal door of my room that clatters like a barn door. I’m told this particular auditory disruption is due to the positive pressure air circulation system that helps ensure that air inside is blown out when the door is opened and no air is brought in from outside. For a light sleeper like me, it means I will always be awake for the vitals and shots.

Speaking of which, the Filgrastim shots in my belly have resumed, although I’ve had only one so far. Hopefully it won’t be a daily occurrence, and I’m thankful I don’t get two at the same time! In any case, I will ask.

As luck would have it, Dr. Asche and PA Paige just came in and he confirmed the Filgrastim was a one-time thing—yea! It’s supposed to help my body produce more white blood cells.

There is one additional poke to my belly each night, a drug called Lovenox (1), which is an anticoagulant. It’s meant to help prevent blood clots. I don’t really worry too much about that because even when I think back on times in my life when I was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed, it was only for a matter of days. I have always been active and tried to get exercise, although I admit I have to force myself sometimes.

The powers that be have added an additional oral med called Levaquin, which is an antibacterial that helps prevent pneumonia and other infections. There are what seem like dozens of pills in the little plastic dose cup the nurse hands me each morning, among them dexamethasone, a steroid (ugh); Gabapentin for the neuropathy; loratadine, commonly known as Claritin, that I heard RN Emily say this morning can help ease bone pain. I didn’t know that benefit of it. There are a few other meds that I can’t recall at the moment, but you get the picture.

Almost everything I take is preventative in nature, and I am thankful for that. Better to head off potential issues that can arise under these circumstances, and there are many. Remember me mentioning “DMSO,” which I have since learned stands for dimethyl sulphoxide, that I received during the transplant that caused the creamed corn taste? According to an article from WebMD, it is a “by-product of paper making. It comes from a substance found in wood.” (2) I did some very brief, initial research on it, and I may ask my doctors about it. If you decide to look it up, be sure to use a search phrase that includes “stem cell transplant,” in order to see the most relevant results. You might see the same concerning words and phrases that jumped off the screen at me, like “risk,” and “...is associated with toxicity in the transplant patient.” (3) Of course, I always try to pay attention to the date that articles are written. Medical advancements are like meteor showers; there is always something new and better on the horizon. At least, that is how I like to think of it.

For anyone curious about it, I still have my hair. However, I am not holding out hope that I’ll have it in a few weeks. Could take longer than that. Everyone is different. For now, I am thankful I can run my fingers through it with a little hair gel after a shower and feel somewhat normal.

Everyone is wonderful here…so caring and patient. They tolerate my efforts to engage them in conversation, which I find I crave. CMA Cara shared some of her personal story with me that inspired her to enter the medical field, oncology in particular, and my heart goes out to her. Her story has a happy result, and that is always encouraging to hear. Sherril, who keeps my room tidy and clean for me, has such a warm way about her as she goes about her tasks and takes the time to visit with me about her love of The Natural State, Arkansas, and how she learned not too long ago that she had family from there. RN Emily and her sidekick, Ashlee, who is an RN in training, unexpectedly brought tears to my eyes this morning. (I blame the steroids!) As I watched them together, I suddenly pictured my own sister those many years ago standing in a patient room in Ashlee’s position as a trainee, and later, as Emily, teaching those who followed in the same path. It is something I simply could never do, and I have boundless admiration for those who can.

I’m including a couple of short videos from my walk this morning. As best as I can figure, this building is shaped like a right triangle, with one end of it narrowing significantly to a point. There is an area with chairs to sit down and enjoy the views at the end of each point of the triangle, one much smaller than the other two. There is also a video of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, or OMFR Building. I only noticed today that the spirals built into the architectural design of the building actually turn when the wind blows. It may be a little hard to see, but knowing how the wind can wail in Oklahoma, I could imagine all of them spinning like tops.

As I told Shelly when she called a few minutes ago, it’s a bit like being a rat in a maze. As I walked this morning, I passed a door marked “Stairs,” and I suddenly pictured myself bursting through it and sprinting down the stairs to freedom—a get out while you can! reaction. She said, “I wonder if they’ve ever had anyone go AWOL,” and we both laughed. “I’m sure they probably have,” she concluded. I can certainly understand the sentiment on this Sunday morning, and I’ve only been here since Wednesday. ;-)

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References

1) “Lovenox: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects.” n.d. Drugs.com. Accessed June 6, 2021. https://www.drugs.com/lovenox.html#:~:text=Lovenox%20%28enoxaparin%29%20is%20an%20anticoagulant%20that%20helps%20prevent

2) “DMSO: Uses and Risks.” n.d. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/dmso-uses-and-risks

3) Morris, Curly, Liesbeth de Wreede, Marijke Scholten, Ronald Brand, Anja van Biezen, Anna Sureda, Ebbe Dickmeiss, et al. 2014. “Should the Standard Dimethyl Sulfoxide Concentration Be Reduced? Results of a European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Prospective Noninterventional Study on Usage and Side Effects of Dimethyl Sulfoxide.” Transfusion 54 (10): 2514–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.12759 ‌