Today, February 27th, we headed back to Cleveland, this time it was to begin my stem cell journey!
David pulled the car up to the valet parking at the Cleveland Clinic, jumped out to grab a wheelchair for me, the valet staff stopped him and asked, “is your wife in labor?” Um, not that we are aware of. “She’s here for a procedure“, David told them.
After getting some bloodwork, we checked in at the interventional radiology (IR). They started an IV on me, and cleared me for the procedure. I was having a trifusion catheter placed. Essentially, a big fancy IV that goes straight to my heart and has 3 lumens. This way I can receive chemo safely, and with this same line, they will collect my stem cells in two weeks.
After waiting one and a half hours for my turn, I was finally called back. I signed the consent. The Interventional radiologist performed the time out, I was placed in twilight sedation, and before I knew it, my catheter was in!
Now I am one step closer! Tomorrow will be a long day. I will be getting a chemo called cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) to help prime my stem cells from my bone marrow to my peripheral blood. I should probably get some rest to prepare me for my long day!
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