All Systems Go

One Day Reprieve

Pam and I went to visit Dr. Carol Marquez in the Radiation Oncology group at OHSU.  She was a very pleasant lady. She decided that Pam will only need 8 radiation treatments instead of 9.  "We based 9 treatments on a protocol for cord stem cell transplants developed at Duke, but we're not going to use that one."  SO.... big news, Pam doesn't need to go into the hospital until Monday, so we won't be watching the Super Bowl from the hospital.

Radiation Treatment

On Monday, she will get admitted about 10 AM, will have another central venous catheter inserted just below her collar bone, and get her first Total Body Radiation treatment (TBI).  The TBI treatments last about 20 min or so.  During the treatment she will be placed in a contraption that looks like a frame with a bicycle seat and will be expected to sit still.  Here is a picture:

Along with the radiation, she will be getting stronger chemo than she has had before.  (But remember, she isn't really sick now, so she will be able to tolerate stronger chemo than she would have been able to tolerate last July.)

All Set

We are all set now... over the past two weeks, she has gone through a bunch of additional Dr.'s appointments, additional tests and signed a bunch of consent forms.

We are having an open house on Friday to big a Fond Von Boyage to her old immune system.

So, Pam moves to the hospital now Monday, Feb. 4th to start this odyssey and the transplant is still scheduled for Wednesday Feb 10th.  We are now T-13.