The In-Between Time

Time for an update...

Overall the last few months have been great. I feel better than I have in years! Funny what the right diagnosis and treatment can do... My 16-weeks of chemo went by quickly and relatively painlessly. I can't say I loved it - the weekly blood work 'pokes' and hours waiting in the cancer centre were not exactly fun. Not to mention the pharmaceutical and side-effect side of things. However, the trade off was worth it. My energy levels, strength and mobility have improved so much, it's really encouraging. 

I finished chemo at the beginning of January and am now getting ready for the main event - a stem cell transplant (gulp). I'm having what's known as an autologous stem cell transplant (asct), which uses my own stem cells rather than relying on a donor. It's a basically a two step process - first they harvest and freeze my stem cells (following a dose of chemo and a week of injections), then they put them back (following a big nasty dose of chemo). I have to spend a week in Halifax for the harvest and then another 3-5 weeks for the transplant itself. I'll come out bald, weak, fatigued, and in remission. The harvest process is set to begin in a little over a week. The transplant itself will be sometime in late March/early April.

 It's all a bit scary and it's going to suck, but I'm confident it will be worth it. It should put me into a deep and long (hopefully very long) remission that won't require additional ongoing treatments. I'm focusing on the end goal and really looking forward to a time when my days will not revolve around medical appointments! 

I'm preparing for things by being even more obsessive about physiotherapy and trying to get as strong as possible. My strength, stamina, and balance have improved exponentially over the last few months. I was basically back in the wheelchair in September and am now in the best shape I've been in since all this started 5 years ago. I walk over a mile on my treadmill every day and am on my feet much of the day. I still go to physiotherapy twice a week and have a long way to go, but things are definitely moving in the right direction. 

That's it for me for now. I know this is a relatively short post, but I figure it's a good thing that my life is too boring for a blog right now;)  I'll be sure to post about the transplant soon.

Ciao for now!

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