October 18, 2012

 BEFORE THE BMT

 Pauline and I met with Dr. S yesterday. He showed us a chart of some of the blood count numbers, particularly the neutrophil count, which have been on a steady decline over the last months.   That being the case he want to proceed with the BMT as soon as we can.  He’d rather go forward than wait for the reversal of the colonoscopy because that would take months.  Pauline and I agree.  It also has the added bonus of letting the nurses deal with the colonoscopy bag part of the time.

My three siblings have been tested for donors and through the grace of whatever power you believe in my sister A is a match.  She wasn’t tested at first because she was diagnosed last year with Phase Zero Breast Cancer.  She is under treatment and doing very well so since it was Phase Zero she was tested.  When my first two siblings didn’t match I had just assumed A would not either.  Mentally I was trying to gear up for a long donor search from the general population.  Pauline and a friend who went through a BMT with her husband are still planning a donor drive. 

I was alone in my hospital bed recovering from the surgery when my sister called.  I will never forget it.  She said, “Well I am your donor match.”  I could not speak, just burst out crying.  She joined in a bit and then asked if I would call Pauline or should she.  I managed to communicate with her enough to ask her to call Pauline.  Then I hung up and had another good cry at the wonderful implications of the call.  I’m sure you know that a sibling donor helps with the odds of transplant complications.  And it’s the complications that kill you.

So now my task is to gain weight.  The first of this year before the onset of the diverticulitis and complications I weighed 155 lbs.  After all the recent events I weigh 125.  It’s what I weighed as a skinny little geek in high school.

Boone