Stem Cell Transplant No. 3 – Update 1
Hello my healing team,
I hope this update finds you well.
I received some promising results last week with my recent bone marrow biopsy showing that after chemo and one Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) my cancer has gone from 30% down to 0.2%. This is really positive as it shows that the cancer is readily treatable and behaving as it should!! Yee har!! The challenge is that there is still cancer present which confirms the need for additional forms of treatment.
To really nail the cancer, last Thursday, I received an Allogeneic SCT. This is where I receive cells from my brother Dan. His cells will effectively take over the immune function in my body. It does this by replacing my bone marrow with his in the hope that Dan’s bone marrow (and immunity) fight my cancer where my body cannot. Riley suggests I will be a mutant Uncle Dan!! Although Dan’s cells have only been in for a week I am a little worried. I can already feel the mutation occurring with my hair going curly and my brain function slowing 😎. I would love to think that I was morphing into an elite version of Dan, but I don’t think I could ever be as funny as he is!! Actually, Dan giving me his cells is a selfless act that I am truly thankful for!! He may not be the messiah, but he is a very good boy (did you see what I did there?? His funny is coming through already!!).
The exciting aspect of this SCT is that, based on current technologies, this is my closest chance at achieving long term remission. It buys me time, and let’s face it, the thing that we yearn for most is time. With a massive possible upside comes massive potential down sides. As this is similar to an organ transplant, there can be rejection issues. These chronic side effects, which don’t normally materialise for several months into the procedure range from rashes and discomfort, through to major organ complications and possible death 💀. Given I am already committed to living into my 80s, I’ve decided that the latter is not an option. Wish me luck with that one hey!!
It feels like it has been a huge process getting to where I am now, having just had the SCT. It started way back when I was first diagnosed in March 2014, when I was told that the Allo SCT was likely the best option for me. To prepare mentally there have been many hoops that I have had to navigate, and physically the SCT has given me a kick up the arse for the second time in as many months.
The transplant process has been ongoing for the last few weeks and for once, I have not been the only one self injecting drugs. Dan had to do some injections too!! Payback for him being a cheeky snot when we were kids!! I had a week of chemotherapy, topped off with Total Body Irradiation. The irradiation is like something out of the dark ages where they put you in a room resembling a concrete bomb shelter, place you on a bed against a wall, then blast you for 30 minutes with a machine that looks like one of the death ray creatures from War of the Worlds!! As I lay there, I felt fully reassured as they put a big block of lead next to my head so that the treatment wouldn’t ‘fully’ screw me up. Lucky me!! Next was receiving Dan’s cells. Dan did a marvelous job with his collection giving up 5.7M cells for me. I only needed 2M!! He always was a high achiever. Apparently, Dan’s cells ‘looked’ perfect, resembling guava juice, so in they went.
Over the past week, I have felt pretty crappy with nausea and severe fatigue returning with vigor. Thankfully I am starting to feel better now, but admit that cautiously as my white blood cells are now dropping me into a neutropenic state (as expected). This means that I will rug up for another week at home as my immune system will be dangerously low. I just can’t risk getting another infection. My infection last month hurt too much!!
With everything that has occurred over the past few months, I feel cautiously optimistic!! Whilst I am in the thick of this very dense cancer forest, I feel that I can see the light on the other side of the darkness, and the light is in the form of a beach somewhere; a beach that has warm golden sands and silvery water, and is drenched in warm sunlight that will sustain me for the next 30-40 years!! See the photo attached :). Come visit!!
Take care
Geoff
