The Misery of Waiting

Thanks to everyone who's been following along.  This can be a lonely experience and your support is huge in keeping spirits high.

The period between stem cell transplant and engraftment normally takes 10-14 days.  The excitement of last week's transplant soon turned to anticipation of positive indicators.  Along with the waiting, came a strong dose of "chemo brain" and overall feeling miserable.  Intense nausea, dizziness, confusion, irritability, fatigue and body aches had to be dealt with.  The chemo drugs ended yesterday, but their effects will stay in the system to torment a few days longer.

Some positives did come in the form of lab analysis.  Clancy's Free Kappa Light Chain counts have dropped significantly during treatment.  The hated M-Spike protein is gone and a small amount of Bence Jones still exists.  This means the flawed plasma cells are being eliminated and healthy cells are taking over.

The staff says Clancy should start to feel better by Friday.  He sure hopes so.  There's too much out there to enjoy.  He prefers to reserve staring out the window all day for when he's at work.