7/26 Harvesting the Stem Cells

Max harvested 3.5million stem cells yesterdy and has another 1.5mil to go.   The stem cell harvest is done the same way the t-cells were harvested at the national cancer institute; an aphaeresis machine sucks all his blood thru a centrifuge.  We are banking the stem cells now while he is strong with the hope to never need them; stem cell transplants are extremely harsh and risky, they are a last line of defense.

 The first round of chemo went as well as can be expected with 6 straight days of IV infusion of Ifosfamide, Etoposide and all the supporting meds and fluids.  On the 4^th day Max had such severe abdominal pain that they had to give him morphine to get through the night.  After chemo Max had a few days of nausea and throwing up before starting to feel better.  He hit his nadir (blood counts close to zero) on day 9 and he started to approach a fever, he managed to stay just under 101deg so we were able to keep him home for another day.  His counts started to soar the next morning, just in time for a good stem cell harvest. 

 The most difficult part by far of this first round of chemo has been the shots, daily GCSF shots to boost Max’s white blood cells;  Mark and I have to administer the shots.  This part of our day really sucks!  Max is sitting in the hospital now playing the Wii, all smiles and fun.  The weather outside is gloomy and grey, he believes that the summer sunshine is waiting for him.