Hamsters on a Wheel

For the past two and a half weeks, we have truly felt like those poor creatures who run themselves into exhaustion and end up right where they began. (Lest you think that I feel even a slight compassion for hamsters, let me assure you that I view them as part of the disgusting rodent family that should NEVER be elevated to pet-status. My pet peeves, however, are a topic for a different blog entirely.)

The normal path to a bone marrow transplant takes several months. Much preparation is done to make sure that the patient's body is strong enough to face transplant and to establish a baseline for future measurement and testing. We have had to squeeze the usual timeline into a little over two weeks. We've spent almost every day at the hospital running from scan to test to appointment. Michael's had his eyes, ears, teeth, heart, lungs, kidneys, and countless other organs checked and rechecked. He even spent several hours taking IQ, personality, and a version of standardized achievement tests. He's met with doctors, advocates, coordinators, and therapists. We even had to throw in a couple of appointments for Timothy to clear him as a healthy, viable donor. Everyone has done his best to make the experience pleasant for us (We love you and your obsessive calendars, Erin F.!), but it has been a true whirlwind.

The final step for clearance to head to BMT was a simple surgery today. Michael needed to have his port (the internal line for all IV access) removed and a broviac (an external option that provides multiple lines to access) inserted. The surgery was only 45 minutes long, but we were there for eight hours. He is still experiencing a good bit of pain and has been quite sick. He was disappointed to not be able to keep his port as a souvenir, but will settle for the battle scars on his chest. He's also not a big fan of the lines that now protrude from his chest and will limit his activity. He said that this has been his worst day so far. "Bring back the chemo" was his opinion.

The bottom line is that Michael and Timothy are cleared for the transplant . . . and . . . we are tired!