Karl's Multiple Myeloma Journey

Today started like yesterday with a physical exam from Nurse Practitioner Charlene, who declared all was well. Then around ten RN Pam showed up with the bag of meds, which were all literally in bags with the exception of the regulars lovenox and acyclovir, and a newly added med for constipation. IV bags were hung for anti-nausea, more steroids were given, and lots more fluids were dripped in. While the first lot of fluids were given a lady from the lab wheeled in a water bath and plugged it in. She returned with a space-age looking cooler, along with a second RN, Fran, around 10:50. While Fran checked Karl’s vitals, Pam added more wires to the IV pole and the lady from the lab loosened the seal on the cooler to take out one of the bags of stem cells. Four bags were collected during the extraction, and two of the four were in the cooler to be transplanted back into Karl. The other two will continue to be stored for ten years in case a second transplant is needed. After she took the fi...

It’s a slow but eventful day here in Room 216 on 4 North A. When I got here this morning Nurse Practitioner Charlene was doing a physical exam, which showed no problems. That allowed RN Bernard to take down the iv fluids and hang up the chemo (melphalon) and steroid (decadron). Karl was also given  Zofran (anti-nausea), lasix (to make him pee), and enund (which helps protect and flush his kidneys). In between all of the drugs there was more iv fluids, and that is all he is getting right now. He had the iv fluids all night last night, which made him pee a lot and therefore affected his sleep. Charlene and the hemotologist on duty popped by to ask Karl how he was doing. Pharmacist Megan and her upcoming mat leave replacement, also Megan, came so that replacement Megan could gather a drug history. RN Bernard changed the dressing around the Hickman catheter amid several expletives from Karl, and Anne came to clean the room. We can hear the floor cleaning zamboni out in the corridor,...

Karl is back on 4 North A at the Health Sciences  Complex in St. John’s, so I’m back to the blogging. The title says it all once I interpret it for you. Karl will get his transplant, or the previously extracted young stem cells reinserted, in two days. So today we are T - 2. Thursday will be called Day Zero. Yesterday Karl went to Ambulatory Care for his pre-admission medical and a meeting with Charlene and Dr. Jones while I flew across the continent from a 5 day Black Friday shopping trip. Karl picked me up at the airport at 430, and we got the call at 5 that a bed would be available for his admission later in the evening. The data gathered during the pre-admission check was all very positive. His hemoglobin was up to 122 from 99 when he was released from hospital on October 30. His white cells were 4.2 and neutrophils were 2.1, which is both normal. Best of all, his creatinine was 112, and his magic number was 113. Remember that his creatinine rose to a high of 553, and it ha...

It is so good to be home! We’ve had incredible weather in Eastport the past two days, which makes it even nicer. I’ve had inquiries about the blog. I’m only going to update it between now and the transplant start date (November 27) if there is something new. Karl had blood work in Clarenville yesterday. Dr. Jones’s Clinic called this morning to tell us that the creatinine level is now 367. So it is still going down, albeit slowly. Karl is tired, but otherwise ok. His appetite is not back to normal, but it is much better than it was while he was in hospital. We had the wood stove on low heat all day, so I simmered a pot of homemade chicken and rice soup for supper. Yum!