Good Morning, Folks!
Thank God for His overwhelming gifts!
I’m delighted to tell you the bone marrow transplant (BMT) was successfully performed on Thursday. I’ll still be recovering for some time, as in months, as the donor’s marrow takes over and my marrow recedes. It’s a process.
I know some folks had questions about the process. I certainly did, and still do to some extent.
What is it?
It’s an implanting of a donor’s healthy bone marrow that takes place by introducing new stem cells from the donor into my body. The new donor cells are assisted with other treatments to allow them to flourish and overcome the body’s existing functions that have not performed to standard.
How do they do it?
Easier than you might imagine. Prior to the Pandemic when you could actually schedule shipments reliably, most transplants were performed with fresh cells via an IV.
Due to scheduling issues during the Pandemic, they switched to mostly freezing the stem cells. Applying the frozen cells involves letting them thaw and injecting them via syringe into an IV stream of normal saline. This is not your normal syringe, though. The two syringes my stems came in held 2 ounces each and were fully packed.
Did it hurt?
No, it didn’t. Have some of the needles, testing, probing, etc. hurt? Sometimes, but by this point, they are injecting into an existing port or PICC line. I talked with the administering doctor and nurse the entire process. (I know, if you know me, that statement was a given.) 😊
Details
The entire time for the transplant took 30 minutes, but it took us 7 months to get here. The transplant was on June 16 and, my initial treatment began on November 17. And the journey will continue. Over the next several months I’ll continue to reacquire immunities that are being lost. All those immunities are being lost as the old marrow dies off. It isn’t like the computers I deal with. I’d make a backup of those immunities and restore them after transplant. Hey! Who’s working on that? 😊
Thank You
This has not been a “slap on another Band-Aid and get back in the game” treatment. Fortunately, my employer has been most understanding and I’ve worked from home, Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, Novant Health Cancer Center of Mt Airy, and now from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
I have more people to thank than I could ever name, many seen and known and many unseen, but for which I’m just as thankful. There have been healthcare workers, employers, fellow-employees, vendors, friends, neighbors, family, extended family, and even strangers. I don’t recommend you getting sick to prove me right, but I’m positive more people care about you than you can imagine. I do recommend if folks ask to help, let them if you can. I confess, we’ve had little outside help, but only because we have been blessed to not need it. Where I have been able, I’ve willingly accepted help.
And, for the record, I have seen God’s hand in this so many ways. My body has recovered better than 90% of similar patients according to some I’ve asked. I’ve felt good the entire time and had no serious pain. I realize we have come up with some innovative solutions to healthcare which are wonderful and frankly a bit unbelievable. But and the end of the process, healing comes from God. Our best efforts are stacking the deck. And I still stand on;
1 Peter 2:24 ESV
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (emphasis mine)
To be Continued
This journey is far from over. I promise to fill in some blanks and help you understand the process.
If you have specific questions or are just wondering, leave me a note in the comments on my Facebook post and I’ll try to respond at my next writing. Feel free to comment or share my posts, they are all public posts. If someone you know is going through something similar and you think they would benefit, share my blog, ThoughtsFromMtPilot.com with them.
Right now, my days are still filled with IVs, pumps, and syringes. I’m not finding as much time to write as I’d like. My goal is to go back and tell you some of the times things have only worked out because they were a God thing, that He orchestrated and directed.
I cannot thank God enough for His plan of salvation from sin, sickness, and mental torment (sōzō), nor can I thank Jesus enough for being that willing sacrifice to enact the plan. And I’m equally dependent on the Holy Spirit making the experience real in my life each and every day.
In His Love,
Wayne
