Free at last! Free at last!

Tomorrow morning I can get out of bed and not take any pills! For now, I'm as healthy as I can be.

The only thing my oncologist and I really discussed were:

1) Options for getting the monkey off my back.
2) Options if the numbers start to creep back up.
3) Options if the numbers continue to slide down.
4) Options if the numbers stay where they are.

As far as number one, it was suggested that I take some steroids again so I could taper off gradually and not feel so incredibly horrible. That didn't make much sense to me since it's already been about 9 days and I feel slightly better each day. I have a choke-hold on the monkey and his little eyes are starting to stare blankly into space...... the little bastard is almost unconscious.......and if I keep a good grip for a while, he'll be dead. No sense in reviving him so I can kill him in a more humane manner. The monkey must die. Now.

Two thru four all have the same outcome. My numbers are good enough for a stem cell harvest. If they slide downward, we'll harvest. If they go up slightly, we'll harvest. If they stay the same, guess what? We'll harvest.

Harvest? Basically they put a "port" (keg tap) in me. Then they fill me full of "growth factors" (grapes and yeast) and when the numbers hit a certain level, they put me in the "hospital" (wine cellar) and tap the keg.

Out comes Chateau Andre, 2007. It's a hearty Burgundy full of natural stem cells inherent to the original 1955 vintage from the chateau.

The objective is to get three or four transplants out of a single harvest. What will we do with them? Freeze them for later if I need them.

Need them? If the disease starts to go crazy, we can chemo/nuke my bone marrow into oblivion and then "fill er up" with one of the freezer bags..... during which I get to sit like The Boy in the Bubble for 6 weeks.

But clinical trails move along rapidly. There's no guarantee I'll have to go thru any of this. If I'd had this disease 2 years ago, my treatment would have been harder and longer. Thank goodness for research.

For now, color me drug free. Now that I'll be feeling more normal, expect me to document the changes and return from the valley of the shadow.......