Yesterday they placed another catheter. I had one already but it is not meant to bring stem cells into my blood, the new one is placed into my neck, very disturbing. I had only local anesthesia, and as I said long ago, I hate that. Until yesterday I didn't have real problems. I was tired, but that's alright. When I woke up this morning I felt very nauseous, the effect of the second chemo, had to throw up and now it's a bit better. The dizziness is getting better though, I don't need to take those pills anymore. I realize that my updates in the near future will be quite negative. I will try to tell you the things the way I feel them, without exaggerating, but also without making them look nicer.
Finally I have my privacy room! Although nurses are entering here about 50 times a day. I'm still feeling quite fine, a bit dizzy because of pills against epilepsy, which I might get from the next chemo. The room is not very big, and a bit dark because I have windows to a corridor which has windows to the outside world. So, the next month I will have to spend my time reading, watching the TV and listening to music, when I'm not too sick that is. Some of you guys might think that's not so bad, and until now they're right. But we'll see... They're here with my lunch, yummie! Eating is going better than I feared. Not that I like it, but I can keep it inside!
I'll try to explain to you what exactly is going to happen. Yesterday they have started chemotherapy. The first chemo is meant to weaken my immune system so I won't reject the donor cells. Thursday they'll start another chemo, which should destroy the cancer that hasn't been destroyed yet. Saturday they will give me something interesting: some kind of serum grown in rabbits, which (I think) should prevent me from getting any other diseases, along with many other pills and infusions. Another very interesting fact is that my blood type will change! My donor has a different blood type, and his blood will take over. I will have an impossible blood type, being a son of my parents... Funny!
The first chemo is quite bearable, as the doctor said before. The second, on Thursday, will make me a bit sick (nausea...), and the rabbit serum will be quite heavy (in bed all day, the doctor said). And next Wednesday is the big day! They can not really predict how I will feel after the transplant, that depends on the rejection. I will feel very tired and get fever very easily.
Untill now, I am in a normal room, I will move to an isolation room by Wednesday. I will explain some things in Dutch now, because the chance that one of my foreign friends will come over is quite small, I think.
Ik hoop dus tegen woensdag in isolatie te liggen. ("hoop" omdat ik nu mijn kamer deel met iemand die superhard snurkt!) Men vraagt hier om niet te veel bezoek te ontvangen en je te beperken tot een select groepje. Dat wil zeggen: familie en goeie vrienden. Als je wil komen, laat dan de dag ervoor iets weten, per sms liefst, dan is het zeker dat ik het op tijd lees. De afdeling is 467 (groene pijl, 6de verdieping). Bij een eerste bezoek moet je langs de verpleging, zodat die kunnen uitleggen wat de regels zijn. Als je uit de lift komt, vind je de verpleging meteen links aan de linkerkant. Je moet er bellen. Kinderen onder 7 jaar en mensen met een verkoudheid of erger blijven beter weg (sorry!). Wil je iets meebrengen, overleg het eerst met de verpleging, maar met je aanwezigheid ben ik al heel blij.
So, untill now I'm fine! The worst is yet to come!!
