Cancer Survivors

And so it starts in ernest (or in Boston anyway) ...The tube entering my shoulder is a "Hickman" line - a catheter that extends inside a major vein to the heart. Tomorrow the chemo starts, using one of the two taps provided.Hickman line - Wikipedia

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Long-term venous catheters became available in 1968, and the design was improved by Broviac et al in 1973. Hickman et al, after whom the system is named, further modified the principles with subcutaneous tunneling and a Dacron cuff that formed an infection barrier. Dr Robert O. Hickman was a pediatric nephrologist at the Seattle Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center.

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They also will be taking blood samples every day through these babies, and I don't need to be poked with any other needles while it is there.Edited by RAZD, : .

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we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
Rebel American Zen Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

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Prayers are with you my friend. You humble me.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Late to the fray--as usual. Keep your pecker up (and sense of humour), Razzy. Odds get better with each passing day. Handsome-looking brute, btw.

Best wishes from Annafan. You have been an inspiration, and will continue to be! Keep it up.

That nightie is ......... yes it is.
Much love to a dearest friend.

from all of you.Day 2 through day 5 a bit of a blur\haze\dazeshould be coming out tomorrow sometime and should have more to post then.

Best of everything to you!A Boston hospital story:My wife's little {some sort of cousin} from Monroe, Louisiana was three years old when he went to Boston to have an open-heart procedure to (successfully) fix a birth defect. He woke up the next day and complained to his Bostonian nurse that his tummy hurt. She said, "Well, dear, you are probably very hungry. What would you like to eat? We'll get it for you!"And he replied, "Deer meat. And grits!"That request may well not work for you either, RAZD.

Hell, EVERY day for me is a bit of a blur/haze/daze. It`s the reality sessions I find hard to handle.

Fingers crossed that things are feeling i littly bit less daisy/hazy at the moment... that is of course assuming that a world without intensly strong chemical cocktails is desirable...All the best!

Not any more for this program. Tomorrow I get the stem cells back to rebuild my immunity system, and my platelets, etc.It was more like being between really lousy and death on life support ... pretty ugly. Not something I would wish on anyone without cause.Thanks.Edited by RAZD, : .

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we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
Rebel American Zen Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

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• • • Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click) • • •

My white blood cell count has gone from 0.52 on June 1st to 0.01 today: these are the cells where some are cancerous, so the more they are killed off the better the prognosis. I'm running out of significant figures on the data, so this is very good (although "zero" doesn't mean that all white cells have been killed, just in the sample size). I may go down tomorrow or it may start going up, as I got the transplant peripheral cells on the 1st and they should start turning into new white cells soon.I also have low red blood count and low platelets (coagulation) so I will be getting a transfusion to boost them those cell countsThis is now the period where I am most susceptible for bed sores and mouth sores, and so far (knocks head) I have none. All I have is a minor problem with allergy to tape and some rash around the dressings, and I have an anti-itch cream for that.No cycling yet (can't get a stationary bike for another week, a few days before moving from in-patient to out-patient with house arrest).I may make that ride in August yet.Enjoy.Edited by RAZD, : .

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we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
Rebel American Zen Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

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• • • Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click) • • •

I, as one of many here, am very glad things are going well. I close friend of mine went through all of that a couple of years ago and I'm overwhelmed by your strength. He had a very rough year but is going very well now.(I hope you can manage the trip but I sure think you are being optimistic. But you are obviously a tough 'un.)Continue getting well. Purely selfishly that is, 'cause I like reading your posts.

Thank you sir. But prayers still going out for you.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I know that you are not the same religion as I am, but we share a desire and zest for life and I respect your honesty and integrity in your posts and responses to us. The Serenity Prayer always ministers to me, but perhaps you have some pearls of wisdom that encourage you! If you care to share some, I'm all ears!BTW...I wish that I could go on that ride with you! It sounds exciting.We will just take it one day at a time this summer as we all strive to do the best we can do and take our emotions as they are and not as we wish they could be.Share with me some Zen Deist philosophy....maybe I can learn something!

How's this for serendipity: Message 119thanks all.Edited by RAZD, : .

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we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
Rebel American Zen Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

---

• • • Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click) • • •