April 15, 2004

Main Page • John's Journal (2000-2003) • CLL Information • Contact John • Seattle Cancer Care Alliance • MD Anderson

Here we go again, time to head up to beautiful downtown Seattle for day three of my pre-transplant work up. (I took the following picture from the roof of my downtown apartment building today.)



The only appointment I had scheduled today was a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy at 8:15am. (Please note, this was not the transplant. It was just a test for CLL in my bone marrow.) So it was off to Radiology and Procedures on the fourth floor of SCCA.
A bone marrow biopsy is where they use a large needle to take a small chunk of bone from your pelvis. A bone marrow aspiration is where they use another large needle to draw bone marrow fluid out of the pelvis. The sound of both procedures is a bit discomforting and even though I've had several of these procedures over the last ten years, I was still pretty uneasy. My initial plan was to have them use only local anesthetic, but they talked me into combining a sedating drug called Verced (sp?) and a narcotic to help mask any pain. I am glad they did. I didn't feel a thing and I don't remember a thing. For example, a few hours after the procedure I was having lunch at Ivars with my friend Jeff and I suddenly spoke out, "Oh no! I forgot to pick up my prescriptions!" Jeff kindly informed me that I had picked up the prescriptions. Later I said, "Jeff! I need to take your picture." Jeff kindly responded, "You already did." There were several instances like that throughout the day. Verced(sp?) clearly has an amnesia effect.

The staff that performed the bone marrow procedure was awesome. They made me feel comfortable and reassured that everything would go smoothly and it did. Thank you to the bone marrow biopsy team for treating me so well. I greatly appreciate you taking good care of me.


We concluded my day's appointments by picking up three prescriptions from the friendly pharmacist that I don't remember.
The drugs I got were:

-Bactrim-an antiviral med to rid my body of any viruses that may cause problems during the transplant.

-Ursodiol-to keep the bile in my liver viscous (this will help reduce liver problems during the transplant.

-Multi-vitamin-good for me.

I want to thank my friend Jeff Nelson for taking me up to my appointments today. He made the day fun. Also, thank you to Anne and Amanda for the dinners you guys made the last couple days. They were so good.

I'd like to share something from an article Michelle was reading in the waiting room the other day.
The article states:

More than a hundred studies attest to the health benefits of friendship. People with strong social networks are shown to:
-Boost their chances of surviving life-threatening illnesses.
-Have stronger, more resilient immune systems.
-Improve their mental health.
-Live longer than people without social support.

So in closing, be thankful for the friends you have...they're good for you!
"A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity."

Proverbs 17:17

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