Ralph seems to have had a better, more energetic week. He feels that he accomplished a lot by getting things organized at his office so that things can run smoothly in his absence.
He finished his 4th round of chemo on Thursday. Hopefully, that was his last round, and the procedures for the transplant can begin. Dr. Raptis, at Hillman, feels that he can go ahead as scheduled, based on the preliminary tests taken over the past 2 weeks. Hillman is VERY pleased with test results and feels that Ralph will fare well during the transplant and his recovery, based on the strong way his body reacted to chemo.
If all goes as planned, the month of May will be consumed with extensive testing to determine if every part of his body will tolerate a transplant, having a port placed in his chest, dental check-up, a 9 hour chemo treatment, the start of antibiotics, and shots to increase white blood cells. From May 23 to June 1 is when he will be extremely susceptible to infection.
In June, they will collect 5 million stem cells over a 1 or 2 day period. On June 9th, he will be admitted into the hospital for the replacement and will stay there from 3 to 4 weeks. On the first two days, Ralph will be given an amount of chemo that is equivalent to what some people take over a year to kill any myeloma cells that might be left. Right now, June 11th is predicted to be Ralph’s new birthday; the day they transplant all the healthy stem-cells!
Because Ralph is his own donor, we do not need to have as sterile an environment as we first feared. The dogs are allowed to stay, but Ralph is not to care for them or allow them on his lap. He needs to be very cautious about washing his hands, keeping his feet covered with slippers, keeping his food off of the counters, using a glass and his towels only once, not bleeding, no fever, a certain diet, and a whole list of stuff. He will need to stay around the house and our yard. He will be allowed visitors who are not sick. Our goal is to be able to be out in public by the end of July!
We need to be careful not to touch anything that he might eat. He has a special diet to follow. For that reason, everything will be single serving and in his own refrigerator. No take out food or food prepared in other kitchens. The areas that Ralph frequents, in the house, must be cleaned well, before he comes home, in an effort to minimize contact with bacteria. We are having the air ducts cleaned and sanitized so that he can breathe cleaner air. We have a list of other precautions that do not seem as overwhelming as the initial literature.
As always, thank you for your constant care, concern, and support!
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