It's now day 2 or 3. I'm not sure what date they are using because we didn't finish the transplant until 2 or 3 or 4 am. At any rate things are progressing well. My blood counts have dropped as expected, but not as low as they were 4 years ago. I'm really feeling well and I make sure that I escape my room and go for a walk a couple of times a day. It's important for me to get up and out and stay strong. We take a couple of laps around the floor a couple of times a day. I'm also using some strengthening bands that we bought to keep up my muscle tone. No cheap shots at the sick guy just because I'm here. I remember vividly what I went thru the last time I did this. I became as weak as a kitten and lost all my strength. This time I vowed to keep my strength up.

I'm not sure if we told you that our room is on th eleventh flood and we look out at the helicopter landing pad for emergency transport. We are really very close to the landing pad and can really see the pilot and tech and sometimes the patient "up close and personal." It's actually cool.

I'm a new man! I woke up with my feet hanging over the end of the bed, I must be at least six feet two, and my hair was so thick ... The transplant went off with out a hitch - - other than being delayed again because the weather dirverted flights into Houston. We still don't know where the magic beans originated, but we'll hopefully find out next year.

Everything started about 11:15 pm and we finished the infusion at about 2:00 or 2:30 am. I'm not actually sure because I was in a Benadryl induced stupor. Part of my pre transplant meds include 100 mg of Benadryl, that's many, many time the over-the-counter dose, it makes me really spacy [see I really am the same old guy] and tired, so I slept off and on through most of it. Pam's is really wiped out this morning. She was up throughout the entire process asking questions, making sure I was comfortable and making sure the staff taking care of me was "in a good place"

Stay tuned for more developments ... same bat time, same bat channel.

Love and gratitude to all of you.

Guesss what? Another change of plans. The final word is [supposed to be] that the transplant will take place between 10 & 11 pm. My transplant doctor is the head of transplantation.

I'll post if anything eles goes on

Yet another change of plans. The cells will arrive about 8:30 and the transplant is now scheduled for 10:15 to 10:30 tonight.


We just met with the Doc. It looks like the transplant will take place tomorrow morning. He did tell us the cell are coming by airplane - - and I got him to say they were not from New Orleans!

I also found out I have a urinary tract infection ... I thought that only happened to girls. I have more sympathy for them now.

The initial report is that the transplant will tke place this evening - - maybe 8:30 pm, but no assurances of that. We'll keep you up to date.

According to the schedule posted in my room, yesterday [August 27th] was supposed to be a day for RELAX & REST. It didn't quite work out that way. I had some fevers and we had to pack me with ice to get my usual 103 fevers back to normal. All was well today, just some normal drugs.

Tomorrow is SHOWTIME. The transplant goes on sometime tomorrow, we're not sure when. According to Amy, the cells will be harvested then immediately sent via special messenger to MD Anderson where they will process them [I don't know what that means] then give the cells to me.

The actual transplant is a fairly ordinary process, I get an IV of a nominal number of cells. the process is supposed to take less than an hour. That's when the real action starts. We'll be in the hospital until ENGRAFTMENT, that's when the new cells actually become mine and start working to create new cells that will do their magic.

We don't know exactly what time the transplant will take place, but when we find out we'll post it here right away.

SHOW TIME tomorrow!

I know I'm on drugs. Today I finished my fourth and last round of chemo. I feel great. We walk around and around the floor a couple of times each day and work out with some exercise bands to maintain some strength. Our room isn't big enough to bring in a bowflex.

Tomorrow I get a day of R & R [yes that is what it says on my schedule] On the 28th I get some medication I have had a number of times in anticipation of the big day. Monday the 29th is SHOW TIME. That's the day I get my new bone marrow. After that we wait and let the new stuff do its stuff.

Pam's going nuts just waiting, but we watch movies and read. We also read all the blog comments and spend time on the phone. I'm in touch with the office every day and surf the web. We only have dial up soooo iiitttsss vvverryyyy ssllloowwww.

I just finished day 2 of drugs. Some would qualify as having recreational qualities, but there are strings attached here [literally] that we didn't have in college...Whoops, this is a family show.

So far very uneventful. Either goes like this, they give me 100 mg of Benadryl, I fall asleep and wake up three hours later. The people here have been wonderful all the nurses have personalities and appear very competent. Fortunately we haven't needed any thing much except when my central line stated to bleed and the regular nurses couldn't stop it within and hour. So at 4:00 am the regular floor nurse called the specialist nurse who works in the department that installs these things and she got it fixed up by 5 am. Amy had called to check in at about midnight, we told her about the bleeding and she made a suggestion which was the way the specialty nurse actually fixed it. We should have had Amy do it to begin with, thanks babe.

Jody's been doing all the writing up til now because I couldn't get my email account up to date, but I'm now on line with my lap top. Thanks for your touches and humor. I was glad not too much was at my expense. Keep that baby boy growing, he should be about 1 1/2 pounds now.

Our schedule for the next few days is more drugs tomorrow, just like yesterday and today, the 27th is rest and relax, the 28th I get a different drug called Rituxan, its somethting I've had before then on the 29th its showtime.

Remember Houston is two hours ahead on the clock, but parts of it are years behind ... like housing prices. More on that later.

Hi all,

This is Jody, posting an update on my Mom and Dad's behalf. I spoke with both of them today and they are doing well!

My Dad is finishing up his first day of chemo today. It was, in my Mom's words, "less than stellar, but ok". He has 2 more days of this and she fears by that time he may be a drug addict, due to the stuff they are giving him to combat any side effects! I assure you, though, that he was in his usual good spirits when I spoke to him so just keep sending those good thoughts and well wishes.

Mom watched the life-flight (helicopter) land on the building outside of their window today, and said it was amazing. Their room is nice and comfortable, and they even have access to room service from 6:30am-9:30pm. I thought she was kidding when she said the food was delivered by people in tuxedos, but she assured me it was true (but that they don't wear the jackets). She said they can get pretty much anything--eggs, waffles, etc.--and that she can order, too (although she has to pay for hers.)

If any of you would like the direct phone number to my Dad's room, please call me or Amy and we will give it to you. They just asked that you not call before 9:30am or after 11:00pm. We are not going to post the number here as access to this blog is not private! (I already had to remove a couple of spam messages, and I don't want the guy who invited all of us to visit his cholesterol medication blog to be able to call my Dad directly!) Same is true if any of you would like their mailing address at the hospital. If anyone plans to send anything, Mom and Dad asked me to let you know that they can NOT receive fruit or fresh flowers, but that cash, dark chocolate and cookies are OK.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support. It really means a lot to my parents, and to the rest of the Rudman/Berger/Levine clan as well!

Love,
Jody

We went to Houston Space Center. Very cool. We were able to actually visit the original MISSION CONTROL. Saw a life size training version of the shuttle & the astronaut training center.

We head off to MD Anderson tomorrow afternoon. We'll try to keep this up to date every day.

Love to all.

Pam & Mike

Thank you for all of your comments, we love hearing from all of you! Sorry we have not updated the blog before now, but lightening at the apartment complex knocked out the internet access. We plan to be able to update it much more often in the future.

Anyway, we moved into the apartment! It's a beautiful apartment in a great location. We've been running back and forth to Target buying all of the odds and ends that you need when you are moving into a new place and don't have anything (bathmats, dish drainers, soap dishes, etc.)...and of course JUNK FOOD! We've found a great bakery and happened to walk in 5 minutes before they were closing, so they gave us all kinds of great deals on stuff they'd be getting rid of anyway. (We are living one block from a nice shopping center with a grocery store, the bakery, Blockbuster, etc.)

We're also running back and forth to the hospital for this and that. It always seems to take most of the day when we go there, even when it's just for something simple.

The new line is in...a triple lumen catheter...and the port-a-cath is removed. When I (Mike) shower, I have to keep it dry, so we use "Press'N'Seal" (with a tissue underneath) on my skin!

Tuesday is the "incarceration" date (ie--hospital in-patient check in). We'll keep you posted about everything once that happens. Thanks for all of your good wishes!

Love,
Pam and Mike

We Need Platelet Donors!

On Monday evening, August 29th, 2005 I had a bone marrow/stem cell transplant from a matched unrelated donor. You know that I had previously had an autologous transplant but I lapsed out of remission and had to have this second transplant. I’ll be hospitalized for 3 - 4 weeks at M D. Anderson Cancer Center, for at least 100 days from the day of his transplant. The biggest need at this stage is to address Mike’s need of blood platelets by transfusions of single donor platelets. Single donor platlets is when all the platelets give on a particular day are from one donor rather than a group of donors who’s platelets are aggregated to make one transfusion.

Donating platelets is a simple process that lasts about two hours. The donations must occur at the M.D. Anderson blood bank here in Houston. A volunteer by the name of Anita Osman will answer any questions a potential donor might have and will coordinate the donation schedule. Ms. Osman has graciously provided us with extensive information on the platelet donating process, information that is included below

A donation of platelets on your trip to Houston is a very important part of your trip. If you are going to be here and you are not sure that you qualify to donate, please call Anita at 281-488-3356 ar:#ffccff;">zZz
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Hello and welcome to our blog. We will be adding information and updates regularly so check back often.

We have just returned from Houston for the first round of tests before the BIG EVENT. Everything went well, after all the only thing Mike had to to was let them poke and prod.

We have a wonderful apartment near the Medical Center. We will use it for a few days when we go back on the 17th and then whenwe're released from being an inmate at the hospital. Pam may also run off for a little bit of solitude while Mike's still incarcerated. She'll also be able to go there to do laundry - - we have our own washer and dryer in the unit.

Of course for a while Mike's laundry will consist of shorts, tee shirts and scrubs.