Transplant and Recovery Timeline...Finally

OK, so...I'm freaking out about the next six weeks...actually about the next three months, but the next six weeks are the most nerve-wracking of my life. Any one of the things I'll be going through would make me nervous, but discussing the schedule for my transplant with my Care Coordinator Thursday and reviewing it since then has been incredibly overwhelming. Here's what's on the horizon:

• Jan 23 - Bone marrow biopsy (please refer to my post from October about knowing what a '10' is like), extensive blood work, and multiple tests on my heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, brain, and assorted other body parts and functions.
• Jan 31 - Meeting to review all test results and ensure we're ready to go. This is sort of the point of no return.
• Feb 1 - Daily injections begin to cause my stem cells to reproduce at a very fast rate.
• Feb 4 - All day at the hospital for injections in the morning, removal of my PICC Line, placement of my Central Line, and a new injection in the evening to cause all of my newly generated stem cells to be released into my blood stream.
• Feb 5 - Several days in a row of stem cell generating shots in the mornings, 4 to 6 hours hooked up to an apheresis machine to "harvest" stem cells from my blood, then shots in the evening to keep the stem cells releasing into the blood stream until we're done harvesting them. This daily process continues until we have enough stem cells, typically 2 to 4 days, though it could take longer.
• After that, my body will be given a "break" for about a week.
• Feb 19 - I will be admitted to the hospital.
• Feb 19 to 21 - I will be given extremely high doses of chemotherapy to literally wipe out 100% of my bone marrow (stem cells and new blood cells inside the bones).
• Feb 22 - Transplant day. My stem cells that were harvested two weeks before will be put back into me through my Central Line, then they'll find their way to where they need to go. The human body is amazing, isn't it?
• Feb 19 to March 12 (minimum) - At least 3 weeks total time in the hospital, allowing my stem cells to "take" and begin doing their job of producing platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells and their accompanying immunities. Pain meds and lots of rest, as my energy levels will be lower than ever before in my life. This may be the toughest part of the whole process, as I HATE being cooped up in a little hospital room. I will be blessed to be tended to by the great staff in the BMT unit at LDS Hospital, but it won't be enough to keep me sane. Gratefully, Noelle's sisters are coming out for the time I'm in the hospital so she can come and visit me every day and have help with the kids. Hopefully Noelle will stay healthy enough that she can come daily, as I'll have virtually NO immune system for a while. I'm so grateful that her sisters are coming to help. They have no idea what a relief that is to me and Noelle.
• Mar 12 to 19 - I should be released from the hospital at some point in this time frame. 
• Two to six weeks following release from hospital - At least 2 weeks, and perhaps as long as 6 weeks or so, of convalescence at home. I've been warned that my energy levels will still be WAY low. This is when I'll be needing lots of visits from healthy friends and family to keep me from going nuts. My oldest sister, Christy, plans to come out for a week. Also, "The Guys" from high school will come out for a few days. I'm WAY excited about both of those visits! Other than that, I'm hoping that others can come and keep me company here and there as I sit in bed or in my recliner next to it for weeks on end. Noelle will be busy as a "single" mother of five (six, if you include me), and will need all the help with me that she can get. Otherwise, she might throw me out the window. =0)

The last weekend of April, I'm scheduled to be the best man for the wedding of an old mission companion. I need to be better by then. The wedding is in Logan, UT on a Friday, and the reception in Pocatello, ID on Saturday. I'll just have to trust that I'll be we'll enough to go, and not allow my body to give me "no" for an answer.

With all that's before me over the next couple months, there's not a lot I can do other than take things one day - or one moment - at a time. There are a lot of things I'm nervous about when I think about them individually, not to mention that they'll all be coming right on top of one another (bone marrow biopsy, super-high doses of chemo, transplant, sitting on my butt all day for 5 to 8 weeks). I've decided to do my best not to think too much about it at all. I may not succeed with that plan, but that's the goal. I've decided that all I can do is say, "Do to me what you need to, good doctors, and I'll just have to trust your skill and training, the fasting, thoughts and prayers of those who care for me, and the grace and mercy of God to get me through it all without throwing myself out the window."