To top it all off, this new chemotherapy made me really sick. Which left me in bed most of the time.
Between the eighth and ninth chemotherapy treatments, we met with the stem-cell transplant doctor. He explained the process of how the transplant worked. The first thing that had to be done was for me to be approved. Then four weeks after my last chemotherapy treatment, I would start a series of stem-cell booster shots over four days. On the fifth day, they would extract some stem-cells, with the goal of collecting five million cells. If they didn’t get that amount there would be another shot and collection the next day, until they had the right amount.
Once the stem-cells were all collected, I would then be admitted to the hospital for a six day very powerful chemotherapy treatment which would kill any cancer cells left.
The worse part, it will kill all stem-cells.
Next, would be the re-introduction of the stem-cells that were harvested and purified. During this time I would be on antibiotics as I recover and my body “resets”. Which would be an additional seven to fourteen days after the re-introduction was completed. It could be even longer – I would have to meet a certain blood cell level before I could leave the hospital and go home.
That sounded like an eternity I would be away from my babies. A part of me felt like – God, I'm praying. We ask – two or three are gathered. You know we are doing cancer. We are doing this in Your name. You know I'm willing to do what it takes … Why isn’t the cancer going away? What else am I to do?
God responded, “You have to trust Me. You have to trust Me.”
During the complete lab workup for the stem-cells, we found out although it was smaller the main mass and some other lymphoma cells were still there. My oncologist and the stem-cell doctor both felt that one more RICE treatment should do it. November looked like when I would start the stem-cell process.
When I went in to the oncologist after the ninth chemotherapy therapy treatment, the news was good and bad. The good new was the tumor shrunk even more. Bad news was, I would have to go through a couple rounds of radiation before I could start the stem-cell regime.
This took me out to the end of February. The news this time was good and there was no sign of cancer on the latest PET scan.
The next step was to have the port that was put in for the chemotherapy taken out and a new “trifusion” port put in. I also got my first stem-cell booster shot. I had to come everyday for the next six days for a shot. If they didn’t get enough cells it would be a shot and stem-cell removal until they do. At least I could be at home.