Finally....some good news

What a day today was!!!

This morning met my transplant coordinator nurse at the hospital - and saw the ambulatory infusion service room - where the stem cell collection will take place on Tuesday.  Picked up the medicines and needles Jeff will start giving me on Friday.  And...listened to all the information about the retraction and insurance and risks and side affects... WOW - and if that wasn't enough...I have to have minor surgery on Monday to put the line in for the retraction...  Yuck - 8:00 AM on Monday - out patient surgery - the only good thing I heard this morning was when they put this line in I will be asleep - thank you for small favors dear Lord.  I am not looking forward to any of it.

Then...on the Helen Graham and had blood work done...

Then..on to see my great doctor - Dr. Slease - he really is a wonderful and kind man..

but...he had to do a bone marrow test..

Can I tell you - it is the pits.  I had so much anxiety leading up to it - I was barely hanging on by a thread this morning and all I could do was cry at the hospital and I really didn't listen to anything.

Dr. Slease is very good and has been wonderful to me.  He tells me the truth and tells me how it is - doesn't pull any punches.

Good news - NO transplant this summer most probably.  My chemo is working fabulously on my blood and Dr. Slease feels my bone marrow will say the same thing.  They still need to do the extraction because my cells are good now..so they freeze the good ones and save for when the melanoma comes back which it will but we don't know when.  Remember - there is no cure - just remission and every indication that it will reoccur but we are going to be ready for it.

So..what does all this mean.

It means - yeah my disease is almost gone for now but to be safe I will continue chemo in the same form for the next 6 months.  Drugs will be the same - yucky but ok.  It works.

Still will feel tired and have side affects but I am so thankful that it is all working and I have the best medical team around.  If only my insurance would cooperate most of the time - I am blessed to have it but can you believe they would rather me go to Phila or Baltimore for the retraction to pay for it 100% - are they crazy.

Thank you everyone and I mean everyone who is behind me with this fight.  I still need you.  Can you still be there for the next few days as I go through this extraction process and then the next 6 months as I continue the chemo and all its glorious after effects that seem to stay with me.

I am in a good place.  I promise to remain strong.  I promise to 99% of the time look on the bright side.  I promise to thank the Lord for everything but I may slip once in awhile - and I may still be a baby once in awhile but I am thankful for my doctors, my friends, everyone who supports me and my journey.  The next 6 months are going to be crazy for sure - but at least I am getting used to it and the schedule.  I am going to see this thing through and promise to record the rest of the journey more regularly.

Next week - retraction week and the following wee my chemo schedule all over again - but...summer will be here soon and I can maybe relax a little bit.  Next week is our Spring Break - thank you no sub plans God helped me with that.  Hopefully too...I can get rid of this crazy cold and nauseousness that is affecting me for some reason this week - probably the stress of the bone marrow test - just thinking about it gives me the shivers.

I think I ramble on here but you know it is good therapy - I go back and read it and feel yes this is how I feel.  Some days I ramble, some days I don't want to talk, some days I want to scream..all in all November 25, 2014 changed me and life will never be the same.  I thought that was bad, but you know what it isn't - it is good.  I am in a good place and am going to get through this.

Also, today I got the cutest video from my friend Erin's kiddies - and the smiles it brought to me were priceless just as Kaylay and Rocco are.

Happy Easter everyone and thank you for all you have done for me.

Until my next rambling....