Day 11 – transplant plus 3

Today was a day of a few firsts.

I got my first transfusion. I had my first return visitor (besides Brigid). I set a personal record for visitors (6). For the first time, I talked and saw the boys on a videophone. I threw up for the first time. And I got my first dose of morphine.

So in order, my platelets count was 14 and when it goes below 20, they give you a bag of them. They have assured me I am going to need more whole blood as well as platelets. Friends of mine have stockpiled plenty of whole blood for me and platelets are starting to pour in, so the Hospital is pleased about that.

Dennis Cannon called and left a voice mail message saying he was headed into Manhattan and was going to stop in, unless I called him back and said otherwise. Dennis had been in on Saturday, along with Denice and the Novotny’s. He arrived a few minutes before Brigid, who got here about 11:15 in the morning.

So the three of us hung out, and I ordered my lunch to be split between the two of them. They decided on salmon.  (See below – no way I can eat anything right now.)

Then the two videophones turned up. My night nurse from the night before, Nancy, saw pictures of Joe and Tim, and said the social workers could supply two videophones, so we could talk and see each other. They arrived while Brigid was here – easy to use – and she took one home. We used them this afternoon, and they worked! Not exactly high definition, but pretty cool anyway. We tried again tonight, but for some reason the video hook-up didn’t work.

Lunch arrived late, so Dennis got the whole thing – Brigid had to get back for the school bus. After eating, Dennis reminded me of his Aunt Lillian, who he’d told me about the prior Saturday. Aunt Lillian was a kind of professional hospital visitor, who tended to overstay her welcome. Dennis said, “I don’t want Aunt Lillian’s reputation” so he took off, after saying, “thanks for lunch.”

A bit later Chris Riat stopped by; having emailed me that he was on his way. He donated platelets and then came up. Chris was a player for the North Jersey Rugby Club, when I was the coach a few years ago. He was a very versatile forward – could play in the front or back row – and was one of these players you loved to have on the field, because he didn’t take any crap. A number of other team’s ex-rugby players get to see Chris’s handiwork every morning when they shave. All in the line of duty, of course.

While Chris was here, and I was talking to him about this journal, two other people suddenly turned up! John Gunderman and his friend Joe. John has mantle cell, is being treated by Dr. Zelenetz, and is about nine weeks behind me in the treatment protocol. I had corresponded by email with Joe, but never with John, and I was glad they came by (John had come in for the rituxin treatment). Joe had found the journal through a link with the Lymphoma Information Network, and contacted me several times by email.

I was really pleased. SOLIDARITY.

Shortly after Joe, John and Chris left, my friend Tom Sullivan came by. He stopped in briefly and then went down to donate his platelets. Tom is a guy I played rugby with, and he’d taken the initiative to organize blood and platelet donors among my former rugby-playing friends.

IMPORTANT RUGBY NOTE  – as rugby people know, rugby friends are forever.

On the side effect/treatment front.

Last night I did get a pain med for my throat and mouth – I think it’s called oxycodine. Worked pretty well and zonked me out for the night. This morning I took a half dose.

I haven’t been eating much at all the last three days,  – mostly drinking fluids or have jello, etc. My stomach has been queasy. This morning I ordered cranberry juice, vanilla yogurt and tea with lemon. I had a little bit of each (Maybe not a great combination?) felt nauseous, and tossed it all up into the little kidney dish they give you. Not a big episode – the whole thing lasted less than 90 seconds. After more than four months of chemo, this is the first time I’d sicked up.

Right now, if I take anything other than water or ginger ale at room temperature, I go queasy.  So that’s all I’m taking.

This afternoon, around four, and after everyone had left, I got another half dose of Oxycodine. But two hours later my mouth and throat was really sore, so Pam my nurse said, try the morphine. I did – a small dose by IV and it did the trick.

Right now – 11 PM – I just got another morphine dose for the night.

So it’s just a question of waiting these things out – about nine days to go!