Day -8

Okay, so I'll start by explaining the title.  You would think today would be day one, but it is not.  It is actually Day -8 because it is 8 days before the transplant date.  The date of the transplant is called Day 0, then they count up starting at 1 the next day.

So, back to the beginning and one day at a time...

Day -8 began with an early alarm clock and a fight to get out of bed... It was so cozy and I was cuddling with my sweet puppy for the last time in at least 3 weeks and was not looking forward to getting my day started.  Eventually I hauled my ass out of bed and took my Dilantin - a drug they gave me to start prior to starting chemo, as the chemo I'm now getting can cause seizures and this will hopefully prevent them.

Kendall had the day off work to take me to the hospital, so I got dressed and we hit the road (all 5 min of it from home to here) and arrived at my scheduled admittance time of 6:30am.  I got registered and then was ushered down the hall to Day Surgery to have my Hickman line put in at 8:00 am.

The Hickman line insertion is an interesting procedure from what I understand, although I couldn't see, nor did I care what was going on at the time... But here's what I'm told:  The insertion site is at my jugular which is where they cut an opening and thread everything through.  One end of the tube ends up in a large vein near my heart (superior vena cava) and the end with the ports (lumens) is brought out through a new incision in my chest.  This is all done in Radiology so they can see exactly where everything is going once it's inside.  Now I'm sure this procedure is a lot more complicated than the dumbed down version of the layman's version I was given first thing in the morning with no coffee in me and before the sedatives, but this is what you get. 

Here's what it looks like on the inside:

 And on the outside...

If you look at the two separate white spots, these are where they've packed the dressing at the insertion (top) and exit (bottom) sites.

After the Hickman was inserted I was able to be brought up the the 7th floor where I will set up camp for the next few weeks.  I was temporarily in a ward room with 3 other patients until my private room was ready.  I am required to be in a private room as once the chemo does its job I will no longer have an immune system (let's hope this works!).  After lunch and a quick cat nap, my room was ready for me to move in.  I have had my first round of chemo (Busulfan) which will continue once a day for the next 3 days before the switch to a different chemo drug.

That's all for Day -8.  Stay tuned...