|
Date |
Procedure |
Purpose |
Status |
|
March 9 - March 18 |
Pre-transplant testing |
Baseline, to have a standard before treatment |
Completed |
|
Insurance approval for medical treatment |
Same. |
To pay for things that require being paid for |
Completed |
|
Monday, April 4, 2005 |
Various medical appointments including urology, nephrology, and an
anesthesia consult |
Baseline. Anesthesia consult is for planned central line implant the
next day. |
Completed |
|
Tuesday, April 5, - Thursday, April 7, 2005 |
Surgical implantation of my aphaeresis catheter. |
To give medicines and used to harvest the stem cells. Held back due to
lack of insurance approval for SCT. |
Delayed |
|
Friday, April 8, 2005 |
Surgical implantation of my aphaeresis catheter. |
Finally receive approval to move ahead after getting insurance approval
for stem cell transplant. |
Completed |
|
Saturday, April 9 - Sunday, April 10, 2005 |
Visit clinic both days to
flush lines, change dressings, etc. |
Make sure the aphaeresis line is working properly. |
Completed |
|
Monday, April 11, 2005 |
Visit clinic to draw a battery of labs from lines and talk to
nurse
practitioner about upcoming chemo infusion. |
Make sure I am still healthy; get baseline labs. From this point on I
will be having labs drawn very often, if not daily. |
Completed |
|
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 |
Stay in the day hospital for, well, the day, for
chemo infusion and
other preventative medicines. |
Chemo, when used in conj. with upcoming neupogen, helps to mobilize
cells to get a better stem cell harvest. |
Completed |
|
Thursday, April 14, 2005 |
Begin neupogen via IV doses or shots in the apartment for 3-7 days. |
Mobilize stem cells to
get a better harvest. |
Completed (Unsuccessful) |
|
Monday,
April 25, 2005 |
Begin stem cell harvests through aphaeresis for around 3-4 times. |
The stem cells are taken out of me, frozen, and will later be given back
into me after my immune system is wiped out. |
Completed |
|
Friday, April
29, 2005 |
Have surgery put in a larger, wider, pheresis line in addition to the
line already in place. |
A bigger catheter may be necessary to get the number of cells needed to
harvest. |
Completed |
|
Tuesday, May 3, 2005 |
Restart stem cell harvests through pheresis for approx. 1-3 times. |
Continuing to get the necessary number of cells needed for an adequate
harvest. |
Completed (Unsuccessful) |
|
Friday, May 6, 2005 |
Infusion of low-dose chemo. |
Trying to get my white cells moving again and get me back in a cycle in
which I can be harvested at a good peak. |
Completed |
|
Friday, May 13, 2005 |
Begin neupogen via shots in the apartment for 3-7 days. |
Mobilize stem cells to
get a better harvest. |
Completed |
|
Monday, May 16, 2005 |
Restart stem cell harvests through aphaeresis for around
2-4 times. |
The stem cells are taken out of me, frozen, and will later be given back
into me after my immune system is wiped out. |
Completed (Unsuccessful) |
|
Friday, May 20, 2005 |
Surgery to remove pheresis catheter in my groin. |
The catheter was put in in the hopes of getting a better harvest.
This was not successful. One catheter still remains in my chest. |
Completed |
|
Thursday, May 26, 2005 |
Bone marrow harvest with a large bore needle via the hip bone(s). |
Bone marrow is collected and filtered to get the stem cells out.
It is frozen and given back to me after my immune system is wiped out w/
chemo. |
Completed |
|
Thursday, May 26,
2005 |
Admitted to hospital. |
Preparation for chemo. |
Completed |
|
Friday, May 27, 2005 |
Day of rest. Given fluids in preparation for chemo. |
Day of rest and preparation between harvest and the start of high dose chemo. |
Completed |
|
Saturday, May 28,
2005 |
As inpatient in hospital, given 1st of 4 doses of high dose chemo
rounds. Given other necessary medicines. |
|
High dose chemo to wipe out my immune system to zero so that we
can then give my stem cells back and rebuild it. |
|
Completed |
|
Sunday, May 29, 2005 |
|
As inpatient in hospital, given 2nd of 4 doses of high dose
chemo. Given ATG and solumedrol. |
|
|
See above for chemo. ATG and solumedrol work together to lower
white cell counts, and as such, the immune system. |
|
Completed |
|
Monday, May 30, 2005 |
|
As inpatient in hospital, given 3rd of 4 doses of high dose
chemo. Given ATG and solumedrol. |
|
|
Preparing for the big day. See above. |
|
Completed |
|
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 |
|
As inpatient, given last of 4 doses of high dose chemo. Given
ATG and solumedrol. |
|
|
We're getting there. See above. |
|
Completed |
|
Wednesday, June 1,
2005 |
|
As inpatient, given ATG, solumedrol and any necessary
preventive/ precautionary/help meds. |
|
|
Completed |
|
Thursday, June 2,
2005 |
|
Transplant of my own thawed out stem cells
back into me after having wiped out my immune system. |
|
|
This is the kicker. It's what the entire process is based on.
"Resetting" my immune system and starting over. |
|
Completed |
|
June 3, 2005 -
June 20, 2005 |
|
Inpatient stay on stem cell unit in isolation. Various medicines
to prevent, treat, stop, etc. side effects
and further illness |
|
|
Recovering from chemo and building back up my immune system.
Discharged when I am healthy enough to do so. |
|
Completed |
|
June 21, 2005
- July 30, 2005 |
|
Outpatient clinic visits. At first every day, gradually getting
less frequent until final discharge to Roanoke. |
|
|
Check up visits to make sure I am healthy and to give meds for
infections, fevers, etc, including blood transfusions. |
|
Completed |
|
|
|
Wearing a face mask, staying away from crowds, weekly clinic visits. |
|
|
|
All precautionary to make sure my immune system builds
back up and I don't catch anything. |
|
|
Completed |
|
September, 2005 through 1 year post
transplant |
Mostly back to normal, staying away from sick people, on about 5 pills,
going to school/work, still very tired. |
Building my immune system back up and enjoying an apparently Crohn's
free life. |
Completed |
|
Around 1 year from time of transplant |
Most people report feeling relatively back to their "normal" selves. |
Hopefully getting on with a Crohn's free life. |
Completed |
|
Year of 2007 |
Not applicable |
Hopefully getting on with a Crohn's free life. Occasional
check up visits. |
Completed |
