Christmas in Langley and Back to Victoria

I didn't really write much of anything in my last blog post so here's a quick update to fill you in on what's happened over the course of this past week:

I was officially discharged from the hospital last Sunday, December 21st, which happened to be my mom's 60th birthday! Kaitlin picked me up at the hospital, and I returned to my parents' house in Langley where Mom, Dad, and Jean were standing at the end of the driveway with a "Welcome Home Chris" banner.

Getting discharged so quickly was better than anything I could have hoped for, because before the process began I was told that my recovery time in the hospital (post-transplant) would be 2-3 weeks. This would mean I'd be in the hospital for 3-4 weeks total, and since I was admitted a week-and-a-half late, we were all expecting that I would be in the hospital on Christmas. Well, my blood counts rose quickly and the chemo side-effects didn't last too long, so I was discharged after only 11 days post-transplant! Total time in the hospital? Only 17 days.

Monday - the first full day at home - was pretty difficult. I was still extremely fatigued, dazed, confused, and headachy, and spent most of the day sleeping.

On Tuesday, I had to wake up early for my first outpatient appointment at the BMT Day Care Unit. Kaitlin and I drove to the hospital, and after we checked my vitals, the nurse took some blood and sent it to the lab.

This was supposed to be the first of several outpatient appointments over the next two weeks, so imagine our surprise when my doctor came into the room and informed us that my bloodwork looked great and he would be removing my Hickman line now. That was it? I was done? No more hospital? No more appointments? Yes!

I asked if I could keep my Hickman line for a souvenir, and my doctor said sure. After it was removed, the nurse went to clean it. Upon her return, she told us that several other doctors had been giving her grief, worrying that I might do "something illicit" with it. Hah! Like what? Put it in someone else? "Hey kid... want a Hickman line? Now hold still... I just have to insert it in your chest cavity and down your jugular vein. Yes, I know it hurts... I said hold still!"

Kaitlin said I should sell it on eBay: "Used Hickman Line - Only $35!"

Oh yeah... this photo reminds me to mention that my hair has all fallen out now. I knew it would happen this way: Once I was discharged from the hospital I finally started to look like a cancer patient! Luckily I kept my eyebrows this time, but the doctor said it could take up to two months for my hair to grow back. I guess I don't look that much different, but I feel naked without my beard!

Also, if you think I look slimmer in this photo, you would be correct. I lost 8-9 lbs in the hospital.

Kaitlin's parents came over from Victoria on Christmas Eve, and spent the next couple days with us in Langley. It was wonderful to have both sides of our family together, and even though I was constantly exhausted and feeling like crap, Christmas was really nice!

Boxing Day came and went, and on Saturday, December 27th, Kaitlin and I packed our things and headed back to Victoria.

I wish I hadn't forgotten about my camera until the last day because it would have been nice to have Kaitlin's parents in this photo as well, but here's a shot of all of us right before we headed out. From left to right we have me, Kaitlin, Jeff (brother), Jean (sister) Cory (brother-in-law), Reed and Aven (my parents). Missing: Gord & Darlana Ball (Kaitlin's parents).
It feels so good to be home. I was away from Victoria just short of five weeks for this whole ordeal, and I am so relieved that it's basically over. Thank goodness my parents live on the mainland and were able to take care of me. I love you, Mom and Dad! This would have been a great deal harder if I had to find somewhere to stay in Vancouver... not to mention all the other details such as transportation and food.

So... what now?

I have to go to the lab for bloodwork once a week for the first month, and then once a month after that. At the end of January, I need to return to Vancouver for a follow-up appointment with my stem cell doctor, and at the beginning of February I have a check-up with my oncologist in Victoria. Sometime in March I will head back to Vancouver for a PET Scan to determine if my cancer is in remission again.

That's a long time to wait to find out if this whole thing worked, but one of my doctors told me that it actually takes awhile for the high dose chemo and transplant to do their thing. Even though the "formal" process is complete, my cancer is apparently still being destroyed as I write this. Woah.

In terms of this blog, I am going to take a break from it for awhile and focus on myself... and my increasingly pregnant wife! My healing process is going to be long and slow, as I've been told it will take anywhere from 3-6 months until I am back to "normal" in terms of energy, strength, focus, comprehension, concentration, etc.

I might write a post after I see my stem cell doctor or oncologist again if there is anything interesting to report, but other than that I will likely not write again until I have the results of my PET scan in March.

Thank-you to everyone - family, friends, strangers - for standing so close to my side during all of this. So many of you sent me cards, messages, emails, prayers, and letters of support. So many of you visited me in the hospital and brought me food, books, pick-me-ups, and things to do. So many of you have offered support in so many creative ways (such as offering up your apartment parking space one block from the hospital for an entire month), and in doing so you have all helped me to survive the most difficult process I have ever had to go through.

I feel unbelievably loved and cared for.

Thank you.

Christopher

Welcome Home Chris

 Day +11 (Sun, Dec. 21) 


White Blood Count.................................5.5 
Neutrophils: ...........................................3.8

Hemoglobin............................................96
Platelets.................................................58

Total Days in Hospital............................17

Chemo Infusions....................................14

Total Km Walked in Hospital..................66

Thanks for reading,
Christopher

Out of the Pit

After a few really low days, I am happy to report that I am slowly making my way up and out of the pit. My fever is gone, my energy is a little higher, and my stomach pain has subsided. I think I can cautiously say that the worst days are over. I am still dealing with a few issues and have a long recovery ahead of me, but I feel a bit of relief at the moment.

 Day +8 (Thurs, Dec. 18) 

White Blood Count....................0.1

Hemoglobin...............................82
Platelets....................................43

Day +8 was "headache day" for some reason. It would come throbbing at full force for awhile, and then subside. Then it would come back... and subside. Lying down helped sometimes, and didn't help sometimes. The nurse gave me codine several times, but it didn't make a huge difference.

My hemoglobin also went down a bit more today which I really noticed when I went to make my bed. I actually got out of breath pulling the sheets up and tucking them in! I felt pretty tired overall, but it was a different kind of tired than the past few days. It was less of all consuming weight on my whole body, and more of... well... my "muscles-aren't-getting-quite-as-much-oxygen-as-they-are-used-to" kind of tired. It's a bit hard to quantify.

My day was a mixture of napping, eating, and short walks. I did a total of 3 km today which was up from 1 km the day before and 0.5 km two days before.

The other thing that started today (actually last night) was... err... well... let's just say the chemo has finally had it's way with my GI tract, and the back door issues have begun. I had to give a sample last night so they can rule out C. difficile and now anytime someone comes in my room they have to wear a gown and gloves. I'm not expecting the sample to be positive but the frequency of which I have to go test the plumbing is annoying. Hopefully that clears up soon.

I also got a new roommate and he is super chatty... when he's not feeling like crap. Yay!

 Day +9 (Fri, Dec. 19) 

White Blood Count....................0.3

Hemoglobin...............................84
Platelets....................................37

Today was a little bit better than yesterday. I'm still weak, tired, headachy, and dealing with bowel issues, but it's manageable. The C. diff test came back negative, so the nurses lifted the Poison Poop Protocol on my room. I spent some chunks of today napping but also had nice visit with a lady named Loraine, who has Leukemia, and did a couple kilometres of walking. If I can pump out 4.5 km tomorrow I will be up to 70 km!

Today was the day that my white counts went up a tiny bit. The nurse said I still don't have any neutrophils, but the fact that my white count went from 0.1 to 0.3 is great! My doctor said he expects it will be around 0.8 tomorrow, and there will be some neutrophils. 

He also said "You're doing great. I would be surprised to see you here when I come back on Monday."

Say what?

Well, indeed it is true. They have started the process to discharge me on Sunday which also happens to be my mom's 60th birthday. Mmmmm.... birthday cake on my first night out.

This is, of course, pending an uneventful Saturday. If I spike another fever, or if this cough that started today gets worse, I may need to stay in a little longer. But as it stands, it looks like I will be getting out of here on Day +11. 

I'll be staying in Langley for a week or so in order to come back here for daily check-ups, but if all goes well I guess I could possibly be back in Victoria by the new year.

Yeah!

That's all for now. I feel like crap so I'm going to go lie down and nap before bedtime... if that makes any sense.

Thanks for reading,

Christopher

The Tough Times

I knew as I wrote my last blog post that the hard times were still to come, but nothing prepared me for this kind of fatigue and stomach pain. Having said that, I think I have been very lucky so far in terms of not getting a lot of the possible side-effects (so far), so I am thankful for that.

 Day +5 (Dec. 15) 

White Blood Count....................0.1
Hemoglobin..............................108
Platelets....................................71
Monday started out as another "OK" day. I was definitely feeling fatigued from the moment I woke up in the morning, but it wasn't bad. My stomach cramp issue was bearable because the doctor had started giving me Buscopan - an antispasmodic medication. It was a good day to be feeling alright, because my two friends Brad and Anna took an early morning Harbour Air flight from Victoria to visit me!

Brad and Anna also hung up some sweet prayer flags that they had made on the weekend with some of our other friends... so thanks, Brad, Anna, Jordie, Nicole, Jasmin, and Maddie... and Wes for the rap he wrote and performed as a video for me. You guys are the best group of friends a guy could ever need!!

Kaitlin also came up in the morning, so we had quite the party going on in my hospital room.

After a great morning hanging out and lunch, it was time to say goodbye to Brad and Anna. The timing of this couldn't have worked better because my stomach and bowels were really starting to hurt from eating lunch.

Kaitlin stayed around until the evening and we did some laps and had a much-needed nap together.

Monday evening was when things started to really go downhill. My bowel issues were getting worse, and the pain was so bad that the nurse had to give me some hydromorphone, which completely knocked me out for the rest of the evening. I did manage to walk 2.5 km throughout the day though, so that was good.

I woke up in pain several times throughout the night, and the nurses gave me more meds.

 Day +6 (Dec. 16) 

White Blood Count....................0.1

Hemoglobin...............................99
Platelets....................................40

I got some sad news today: Kaitlin had come down with a cold. So she's hanging out in Langley with my parents, having taken the last week off school before Christmas, unable to visit me. Let's hope that clears up soon!

I spent my entire day sleeping today, waking up periodically moan for more hydromorphone. The stomach/bowel pain was right up there with the pain I had when my tumour started breaking down this fall - I'd give it a 9/10 with 10 being the worst pain I've ever felt.

Jean came by with some soup and muffins for lunch but I didn't have much appetite for it.

In the afternoon I started to feel "chilled" so I took my temperature. Oh great - it was 38.3°C. As per the protocol, I had to give a urine sample, central and peripheral blood samples, and get a chest x-ray. I was then started on IV antibiotics. The doctor isn't expecting that anything will come back positive for infection, which is good news. Apparently it is quite normal to get a fever as the body responds to the chemotherapy and transplant process. Let's hope that's the case, anyways!

The rest of the evening went by in a daze and I was in bed by 9:00 PM. I only managed to walk 0.5 km today, which is 4 laps of the ward.

 Day +7 (Dec. 17) 

White Blood Count....................0.1
Hemoglobin...............................93
Platelets....................................14

Today has been the same as yesterday, so far. I am exceedingly fatigued and achy, due to my low blood counts and I am so cold from the fever which is currently at 39.4°C (almost 104°F). Most of my morning has been spent sleeping, but I did manage to get up and do two laps of the ward - 0.25 km. My nurse took this pouty picture for me.

Today I will receive a blood-transfusion for my platelets. Normally they wait until they get below 10, but since I have a fever the protocol is below 20.

Today I will also begin receiving G-CSF (Neupogen) shots to stimulate my bone marrow to begin pumping out some new blood cells. Hopefully those stem cells are sitting in there ready to go, and the G-CSF istimulates my bone marrow quickly!

Today was also the day that my hair started falling out in chunks, so at shower time I took the electric trimmer to my beard to it wouldn't get patchy as it falls out. The hair in the picture I just pulled out of my face with my fingertips - so easily!

That's all for now. I anticipate the rest of today will be spent sleeping, with periodic one-lap walks around the ward. It took me a LONG time to write this, so thanks for reading it.

Christopher

Transplant Day +3 & +4

Yesterday was my hardest day so far. I felt so tired from the moment I got out of bed in the morning, and with the tiredness came boredom and a heavy depressed feeling, crushing my entire soul.

The frustrating thing about being so tired and "chemo-brainy" is that it's hard to focus on anything which means books and movies are out. It was also the first day I didn't have any visitors until Jean came for supper and I think I just had too much time alone with my thoughts.

Yesterday evening I also started to get a lot of stomach pain, cramping, bloating and nausea. I didn't get sick or anything, but I felt pretty darn close, so the nurses gave me anti-nausea medication through my IV line.

This has continued throughout today as well.

It seems like anytime I eat something, within about 15 minutes I will start to feel sick, bloated, cramped, and gross - like my stomach is shouting "RED ALERT: WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DEAL WITH FOOD RIGHT NOW! ABORT! ABORT!"

My food is staying down though, so at least I'm getting the nutrition my body needs.

Today has been a better day as far as where my mind is at. I still feel really tired and headachy with bouts of bloating and nausea, but today was the day Kaitlin came!! She was able to get time off work for the last week of school and will be staying at my parents' house in Langley so she can visit me every day until I get out of here. Seeing Kaitlin walk into my room this morning was one of the best feelings I've ever had in my life and I was on the verge of tears as I hugged her. What an incredible sense of relief. I love you so much, Kaitlin!!

The day was still pretty low-key of course. We talked for awhile before eating lunch, and after some laps around the ward, we snuggled up in bed to watch The Polar Express. That lasted about 20 minutes before we both fell asleep. Like I said before - What would you expect when you put a stem cell transplant patient and pregnant lady together!?

Kaitlin left in the late afternoon to head back to my parents' house, and since then I have walked a few more laps, put up some Christmas window stickers, and eaten dinner. I'm still feeling pretty tired and my bowels are not happy, but all-in-all I am still hangin' tough.

Tomorrow not only will Kaitlin be here again, but my two good friends Brad and Anna are coming over from Victoria to visit me for the day as well! SO EXCITING!

 Some Blood Stats 

WBC Normal Range....................4.0-10.0
Hemoglobin Normal Range.......133-165
Platelets Normal Range.............150-400

Note: My hemoglobin was already a bit low going into this, due to the GDP-R chemo I did this fall.

DAY -6 (CHEMO)
White Blood Count...................?
Hemoglobin..............................?
Platelets....................................?

DAY -5 (CHEMO)
White Blood Count....................6.5
Hemoglobin..............................118
Platelets....................................255

DAY -4 (CHEMO)
White Blood Count....................7.2
Hemoglobin..............................115
Platelets....................................263

DAY -3 (CHEMO)
White Blood Count....................5.0
Hemoglobin..............................109
Platelets....................................244

DAY -2 (CHEMO)
White Blood Count....................4.0
Hemoglobin..............................109
Platelets....................................218

DAY -1 (CHEMO)
White Blood Count....................3.2
Hemoglobin..............................118
Platelets....................................239

DAY 0 (TRANSPLANT)
White Blood Count....................2.9
Hemoglobin..............................113
Platelets....................................212

DAY +1
White Blood Count....................5.1
Hemoglobin..............................103
Platelets....................................239

DAY +2
White Blood Count....................2.2
Hemoglobin..............................108
Platelets....................................180

DAY +3
White Blood Count....................0.4
Hemoglobin..............................117
Platelets....................................185

DAY +4
White Blood Count....................0.1
Hemoglobin..............................114
Platelets....................................119

As you can see, the chemo is quickly killing everything off. And at the same time this is happening, somehow my new stem cells are making their way back into my bone marrow where they will eventually begin to become new blood cells. I've been asked why the chemo doesn't kill the stem cells in the process too, and I have NO idea.

That's all for now. The only other thing to report is I am still meeting my goal of walking at least 5 km per day and have now walked a total of 55 km, or 440 laps. I'll probably get up to 56 km before bed tonight.

Thanks for reading,
Christopher

Transplant Day +1 & +2

I should preface this post by explaining the title because I don't think I have done that yet. The days of chemo leading up to my transplant are written as "Day -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1," the transplant was "Day 0," and the days following the transplant are written as +1, +2, etc.

Yesterday (+1) was about the same as any other day so far, except I was definitely starting to feel more fatigued. Jean came and hung out with me for a good chunk of the day again, and I also had a nice morning visit from Maddy (thanks for the yummy stew) and an afternoon visit from Liz (thanks for the snacks and presents).

I managed to walk another 7 km yesterday, bringing my total up to 40 km - or 320 laps of the BMT unit. One of the nurses told me last night that they have nicknamed me "The Walker." Jean said that was better than "The Streaker," so I guess I've got that going for me!

Today (+2) I have been absolutely exhausted and my brain is mush. My blood counts are all still just on the lowest side of "normal" range but are going down quite quickly so the fatigue is to be expected.

The day has been decent so far though, for what it is. After breakfast I walked 1 km and then fell asleep for an hour or so. I was woken up by a total surprise visit from Ashley and Trent, who brought me coffee and a wonderful hour of catching up on life. Thanks, you two!

Jean came by again as well, and brought me some homemade muffins and soup for lunch. She has come to visit me every day this week (with food) since arriving in town from Edmonton on Tuesday. Best sister ever!

After lunch, Jean and I did some walking laps before she headed out. I felt extremely tired and dazed by this point so I slept for a couple hours before waking up and doing some more walking (err... shuffling by this point) around the unit. I'm getting slower, but so far I have done 4 km today so I should be able to hit my daily goal of 5 km by bedtime, no problem. 

I know walking is the best (and pretty much only) exercise I can do right now but man am I wishing I could hop on my bike or pick up some barbells because I feel so weak and out of shape. 

All in good time I suppose.

So that is about it for today. The doctors and nurses seem to be very satisfied with my progress thus far, so I guess I will just keep shuffling along until something happens or I get sent home.

Thanks for reading,

Christopher

The Beginning of "Chris 2.0"

 Hospital Days 5-7 

There isn't actually a ton to report from the last few days. Since my last post on Sunday, I've just been going through the daily, fairly boring routine of living in the hospital. I had three more chemo infusions on Monday, and one more (my last one) yesterday. The side effects haven't been too bad so far - I've been getting pretty tired in the afternoon and evening each day, I feel kind of crappy, and my brain is a little bit "mushy," but so far that's it. I'd say it has been pretty comparable to the other two chemo regiments I've done in the past - CHOP-R and GDP-R. I know it's going to probably get worse soon though, because my blood counts are falling more and more each day. It is kind of weird just waiting for something to happen, but still feeling "OK" right now.

In terms of staying active and moving, I have been doing very well. As I mentioned in my last post, I measured out how many times around the ward I need to walk to do a kilometre, and I have been tracking my progress diligently, aiming for about 5 km per day. As of tonight, I have walked 31.5 km in that same damn circle, which is 252 laps. I know my body will start slowing down in the coming days and weeks, but I'll see if I can get up to 50 km before I'm eventually discharged.

I have to say a HUGE thank-you again to everyone - family and friends - who have been coming to keep me company and bring me real food. Since the weekend, I have had so many people drop by to visit, and I don't think I am exaggerating to say that it has been life-saving. Maintaining my sanity and positive outlook would be next to impossible if I was alone the whole time, so thank-you all for your love, support, smiles, stories, company, time, homemade meals, and everything else you've given me. I sure am one lucky guy, and you are all the reason that I am still smiling. Thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you. Here are a few pictures. I forgot to snap them with Christina, Katherin, Jean, and Sara, but that just means you will all need to come back a second time!

 Stem Cell Transplant 

Today was the big day - the whole reason I am here - I had my stem cell transplant this afternoon! Okay, okay, it was actually not that eventful, but still pretty important. Here's what happened:

Starting this morning I was given two IV infusions of a steroid as I went about my business. Then at 2:00 PM I was given a large IV dose of Benadryl. The stem cells are mixed with a preservative, and there is a slight chance that the preservative can cause a severe allergic reaction so those infusions were as a precautionary measure.

At 2:30 PM I had to lie in my bed for the transplant. My frozen stem cells were thawed down the hall, and then brought quickly into the room and hung from my IV pole. My nurse and doctor were present the entire time to monitor me, and my blood pressure, blood-oxygen, and temperature were taken every few minutes. As the stem cells went into me I felt a bit of a warm flush in my face and chest, but it was mild. I also felt the slightest bit nauseated but not enough to mention it. The whole thing took about 45 minutes, but I fell asleep after about 10 minutes because of the huge dose of Benadryl.

After the stem cell infusion was complete, the nurse woke me up to check my vitals every 15 minutes for two hours - again, as a precautionary measure.

I am currently still pretty "out of it" due to the Benadryl, but between sleeping and getting my transplant, I had a nice visit and supper with my sister Jean and her friend Sara who were here the whole afternoon.

So that is that! I literally just had a bag of my very own pre-harvested stem cells infused back into my body! A pretty simple process for an amazingly complicated procedure. The doctor told me that there were approximately 600 MILLION stem cells in the bag, and they will go through my bloodstream and "find their way" back to my bone marrow where they will turn into new cells and essentially reset my system to one that hopefully doesn't make any more cancer. The craziest thing is that science still doesn't have a 100% understanding of how the whole process actually works... they just know it can!

Now the waiting game begins. The next week or so is when the cumulative effects of 6 days worth of chemo will really start to wreck me. I will get very tired and very sick. My blood counts will drop to the point where I will need transfusions, and there is a high chance that I will get an infection of some sort, and require IV antibiotics. But in 2-3 weeks the whole process should be over, and I will be able to be discharged.

Two weeks from today is Christmas Eve. Let's aim for that?

Thanks for reading,
Christopher

Hospital Days 1-4

Overview 

I started my 6 days of high dose chemo infusions on Thursday morning, the day after I was admitted to the hospital. It wasn't too bad at first, but I am definitely starting to feel worse each day and I am dreading what's to come. Apparently later this week and onwards is when I will start to get really sick from the chemo. This is when I will require blood transfusions and antibiotics to keep me alive.

I had chemo on Thursday morning at 10:00, and then from Friday to Monday (tomorrow) they are at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 10:00 PM. I have one infusion on Tuesday but I'm not sure what time it's at.

In "technical" terms, I am on "Day -3" right now as far as my stem cell transplant is concerned. The transplant will happen this coming Wednesday, and as exciting as it sounds, it is actually just another blood transfusion that happens to be my own stem cells that were collected a couple weeks ago.

I am stuck in my ward on the 15th floor of the hospital, and I'm not allowed to leave because of how immunocompromised I will soon become. I am craving fresh air, but it is still several weeks until I will be able to get any. The air vents in the ceiling have special filters and none of the windows open. I know this is to protect me, but it feels so dry and stuffy.

Every time I pee, I have to go into a special cup in my bathroom and write down how much I went. The chemo I am getting can damage my kidneys so the nurses need to constantly monitor my fluid intake and output. I receive an IV fluid drip (saline) 24/7. It pumps about 125ml into me every hour so needless to say, I have to pee a lot. Combining the IV drip with all the water, milk and juice that I drink as per usual, I've been outputting at minimum 3 litres every 12 hours!

The nurses and doctors that have dealt with me are all really nice. A couple of the nurses have been incredible - not only taking good care of me, but sometimes lingering to chat and constantly making sure I have everything I need. One of them even goes down the road to Starbucks and gets a latte for me on her morning break!

It's been nice getting to know some of the other patients too. We're all in the same boat together, and everybody seems to always have a smile when I pass them in the hallway. One of the guys I've chatted with a few times shuffled into my room to bring me a fruit smoothie this morning.

 Timeline 

WED, DEC. 3RD - My parents dropped me off and helped me settle in at the hospital in the afternoon but nothing really happened for the rest of the evening. My nurse gave me a little orientation, and after a disgusting supper I watched some TV and eventually went to bed around 10:00 PM. I didn't have a very good sleep because hospitals are noisy places. There is a loud ceiling fan above my bed, and the nurses were constantly coming and going to check on my roommate on the other side of the curtain.

THU, DEC. 4TH - I got up at 6:00 AM when my nurse came to check my vital signs.

There is an old exercise bike in the hallway outside my room, so I began my day with a 30 minute ride, feeling pretty good! I followed that with a shower (down another hallway with a sign-up sheet on the door) and at 9:00 AM it was breakfast.

At 10:00 AM I was hooked up to my IV tower via the Hickman line in my chest, for my first chemo infusion. I am permanently attached now, and the only time I get unhooked is when I want to have a shower. My first chemo infusion began but it didn't really affect me. I did a few walking laps around the ward, played on my computer, and at 1:00 PM it was lunch.

After lunch I started to panic. Not only was the food gross, but it wasn't staying with me and I was beginning to get very hungry! I put out a call for help on my Facebook page, and in the mid-afternoon my friend Christina came by with a giant burrito, a card game, and a book. What a lifesaver! After she left, it was suppertime but thankfully I was so full I didn't actually need to eat much.

My parents and two friends, Ashley and Amanda came by to hang out after supper. They brought me snacks and it was a nice finish to the day to see some more familiar faces!

I went to bed around 10:00 PM and had a better sleep due to my earplugs and a sleeping pill.


FRI, DEC. 5TH - I woke up at 6:00 AM again, when the nurse came to check my vitals and draw some blood. This is how my days always start. In fact, this happens multiple times throughout each day.

My morning was pretty much the same as Thursday - I went for a 30 minute ride on the exercise bike, had a shower, and then it was breakfast. At 10:00 AM I was given my first of three chemo infusions of the day, which wasn't very eventful. The nurse just hangs the chemo bag on my IV pole with all the other bags, and I continue with my daily business.

Today I wanted to find out how many laps of the ward I would have to walk to do a kilometer, but nobody seemed to know. Good thing being here is all about finding creative ways to fill the day: I did ten laps, counting my paces each time around, and figuring out the average. Then I found a straight hallway, and did some math to figure out the length of my average pace. I'll spare you the rest and let you know that if I do 8 laps of the ward, it is 1 km. I had kept track of my walking from the day before so I was able to figure out I had done 4 km. Today I did 3.5 km.

Keeping moving as much as possible is extremely important. It will help me get better faster than if I just lay around in bed, and can help to prevent nausea, and constipation, as well as circulation and lung problems.

My friend Kelli came by for a visit on Friday morning, which was really nice! She brought me a basket full of fresh fruit, snacks, and a copy of GQ Magazine, and helped me hang some Christmas lights up in my room.

The light-hanging was hilarious. I wanted to reach the roof, so I was balanced precariously with one foot on the arm of my chair and the other foot on top of my headboard when a nurse walked in, looking absolutely shocked. She stammered for a few seconds and then managed to get out - "I have a feeling you're going to do this even if I tell you to stop, aren't you?" I confirmed that her thinking was indeed true, and so she held the chair for stability and closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch. The end product looks pretty good though!

On Friday afternoon my parents came to visit. They left around suppertime and drove to pick up Kaitlin at the ferry, bringing her back to the hospital for a short evening visit. This point was when I was starting to begin to feel a bit draggy from my two days of chemo, so after we said our goodbyes I was in bed by 9:45 PM.

SAT, DEC. 6TH - I woke up at 6:00 AM again (vitals check and blood test) and after a banana and some mixed nuts, I did half an hour on the exercise bike. At 7:30 AM I had a shower, and at 9:00 it was breakfast. I went for a walk around the ward and at 10:00 it was time for some more chemo. 

Kaitlin spent the day with me on Saturday, and it was so nice to have her here. We cut out some paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling, had lunch together, and watched the movie Elf. Oh yeah... and of course we did lots of walking laps around the ward - I did 5km in total.

It was hard to say goodbye to her at dinnertime, especially since I was starting to feel even crappier from the chemo, but I was able to go to bed happy that she would be back in the morning.

SUN, DEC. 7TH - Oh hey, that's today! I was awoken (as usual) at 6:00 AM for my vitals and blood test. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling up to a ride on the exercise bike so I fell asleep again until 7:30 and then had a shower. At 9:00 AM it was breakfast, and by mid-morning, Kaitlin was back for a visit. I can't even describe how much better I feel when she is here! We had a homemade lunch together, did some walking laps, cut out some more paper snowflakes, spent some time talking, and squeezed onto my tiny hospital bed for an afternoon nap together. Hey - that's what happens when you put a cancer patient and a pregnant lady together, right!?

Kaitlin had to leave by 2:30 PM to catch a ferry back to Victoria, but she will be back next weekend, and will be staying with my parents in Langley and visiting me here until I eventually get discharged. I hope this week goes by as fast as possible because all I want is her to be back here with me. I love you so much, Kaitlin Poynter!!!

Oh check it out - I had an afternoon visit from another Kaitlin today! I haven't seen this one since our UVIC graduation in 2012, so trading some stories and catching up was a lovely time. She also brought me some delicious food and saved from yet another nasty hospital meal. She also beat me at a game of cards.

I guess that's about it for now. I haven't gotten sick or nauseous from the chemotherapy yet, but as I mentioned, having it for 4 days in a row has begun to make me feel pretty crappy. I have a constant headache and tiredness weighing down on me, and I just feel kind of gross all the time.

I'd like to say a big thank-you to all the lovely people who have stopped by to visit and bring me food so far. Being here alone is tough, so having friends around is extremely helpful in terms of cheering me up and making each day go by faster.

 Some Stats So Far 

Distance Walked............................15.5 km
Stationary Bike.................................1 hour
Chemotherapy Infusions.........................10
Remaining Chemo Infusions....................4
Days until Transplant...............................3

That's all for now. My eyes are closing and I need to brush my teeth and head to bed soon.

Thanks for reading,
Christopher

Hospital Admission... At Last!

I was finally admitted to Vancouver General Hospital this afternoon. I will start my BEAM Chemotherapy tomorrow, and it will continue for six days. Next Wednesday I will receive my stem cell transplant, and then I will have 2-3 weeks of recovery here in the hospital. After that, there will be 7-10 days where I will be required to return to the hospital every day or two for tests.

I will do my best to update this when I can. Please continue sending me all your positive energy, well-wishes, and prayers!

Thanks for reading,
Christopher

Still Waiting

It has been one week now since the day I was "supposed" to be admitted to the hospital to start my high dose chemo and stem cell transplant, but they still don't have a bed for me. To say the wait is frustrating would be a gross understatement. Getting in and out of there before Christmas isn't looking very likely at this point.

I really feel the itch to run and lift some weights, but I'm not allowed to do much more than walk for exercise because of the damn Hickman line hanging out of my chest. I walked 8 km today.

Kaitlin came out to visit me at my parents' house for the weekend which was nice. We went into Vancouver to check out the Christmas market. Mmmmmm... bratwurst and mulled wine!