Phase one DONE!
Okay, so the weekend with the tap wasn't the best. I spoke too soon about no side effects from the injections, and it was so hard to sleep with bone pain and not being able to move my neck with the tap. I was generally so grumpy about why they put it in a clear two days before using it. It felt to me like I was being put through extra pain and discomfort. (I asked Yati why they do this, and it's something about the availability of the doctor who puts it in, and the real possibility of delays if they'd tried to insert it on the day.)
So after a rough weekend, I was very ready to get the stem cell process going yesterday (Monday). We arrived at the hospital early in the morning so blood could be taken to see if the stem cells were present (as they should be, after all those injections). All was good, so we started.
I was hooked up to the Apheresis machine and the stem cell collection process began. I discovered, when they took all the gauze off, that it's not a 'tap' as such, it's really just a giant cannula with two little taps on the end - one for taking blood out, one for putting it back in (sans stem cells). (When they sent me home they just put a bit of tape on the end of each tap, so there were two blood-filled tendrils dangling out of my neck. It was super creepy.)
I was connected for about six hours, just lying on the bed. (You're not allowed to go to the toilet during this time; If one needs to go, they bring out a commode/seat thing. For those who know me, you'll be very impressed to hear that as I did not want to use the commode, I didn't need to go / just dealt, while I was hooked up. Yay me.)
For patients being treated for MS (as opposed to cancer), we need 2 million of the right type of stem cells at the end of the filtering process. Once they collect the stem cells from me, they go through a 'selection column' to choose the right type (and discard the rest) which can reduce the amount remaining by up to 80% (usually 50%). This means that they were aiming to collect at least 6 million stem cells from me to ensure there's enough at the end. I was scheduled for two days of collection, to get the right amount. It was explained to me that most people only require one day of harvesting, but some need the two, and a few need three days.
When I'd completed the six hours, I was allowed to go home. They wouldn't know how much was collected until the next morning, so this meant that I had to keep the tap for at least another night. It was weird, I physically hadn't been doing anything, but I was so exhausted. Very much hoping not to have to do it again the next day! (Stem cells are gross:)
Overnight there was a big lightning storm here, I've never heard such thunder! It was cool (although, New Zealand, keep warm!!!).
We rocked up to the hospital today with a special fashion accessory (I left on my plastic bag that I'd been wearing around my neck in the shower to prevent the tap(s) getting wet--like a homeless person's scarf. I didn't want to scare the taxi driver, or anyone else on the way. Although Yati gave me crap about it, I still thought it was better.), and....
GREAT SUCCESS! 7.9 million little Rachie stem cells collected, I could go home FREE OF TAP(S)!
Here's a yuck photo of the tap(s) once it was out (perspective is weird, it's actually about 6 inches long), and my jubilation (if not slightly duck-faced and Zoolander-esque) at being free of it:
Yay! So that's me for the next couple of weeks! They'll do some blood tests in a week to check my white blood cell levels, which have been raised as a result of the injections, but otherwise I'm on holiday (read: finishing an assignment that'll be due whilst I'm in hospital) until the end of the month, when the real work begins.
Rach xx
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