The holiday season is upon us. Christmas shopping is usually a fun filled time for me, it sounds crazy but I enjoy the hustle and bustle. This year I can honestly say I don't. Shopping is a challenge even on the good days due to lack of energy. A little at a time, it's going to be a small Christmas but I think the family just wants a healthy Mom instead of a ton of presents and I completely agree with them.
My stem cell transplant was scheduled for Dec. 6th, 2011 but unfortunately the doctors found some Leukemia cells in my spinal fluid (Central Nervous System). Good news it was minimal, bad news the treatments are nasty. These treatments consist of Lumbar Punctures (Spinal Taps) to the spine which remove a designated amount of spinal fluid through a needle and an IT chemo treatment injected through the same spot. The procedure can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple of hours depending on how fast or slow the fluids drain and of course you can not move throughout the entire procedure. The worst part of the treatment like other treatments are the side effects. Headaches, soreness and a very drained feeling. Luckily as I mentioned the Leukemia cells were minimal so 3 treatments got rid of them. The treatments are on going to make sure the pesky cells stay away though. I'm up to 7 or 8 procedures and have only one more to go. YAY!
As of right now, I have a perfect match donor and my Stem Cell Transplant is scheduled for Jan. 10th, 2012. What a perfect Christmas present! Many people don't know how easy it is to be a donor. Check it out at http://marrow.org/Home.aspx . You can be a match and save someone's life. Watch this video to be inspired. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E8OIwx4uQm4 .
Thank you and I hope you and your family have a very happy holiday season!
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