Category Archives: Uncategorized

Much needed “rest” day

4 mints a day during radiation keeps the upchucks away

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to a much needed day of rest.  After undergoing 8 straight days of not fun stuff, I’m ready for a little break.  Actually, I still have to go to the clinic, but I won’t be having radiation or chemo. 

This week was the first time that I’ve had radiation before, and I also hope that it’s the last. Twice a day for 4 days (8 total treatments) I was radiated from head to toe.  It’s a very strange feeling.  I stood in a room by myself in front of a huge machine.  Then a buzzing noise began and all of a sudden the palms of my hands and my feet began to sweat.  There isn’t any pain, but then my legs began to shake like my energy was being zapped straight out of me.  Then I’d feel a strong urge to throw up, though I never did.  I sucked on a peppermint candy to help prevent that.  Once I was done with the peppermint candy (it was about the same amount of time to suck a peppermint candy until I was told to turn the other direction), then I was told to face the other direction, so I would get another peppermint candy and go through the same sensation. 

Currently I’m not eating a whole lot, and I don’t go very far without having a trash can near by…just in case… I need to… throw…something away… real quick :)   Right now my breakfast contains about 10 pills, and my dinner about 7 pills, and during the day I’m hooked up to a portable IV pump which keeps me hydrated. 

Today I received a strong dose of chemo, and then Monday I’ll be at the clinic for about 12-13 hours for another strong chemo day.  Then on Wednesday is when I’m scheduled for my transplant.  I’m told that my worst days will probably be after I get my cells back as that is when the radiation and chemo really take their effect.  They’ve really got to find a better way to cure cancer than this.  The one thing that got me through the radiation stage was when I was sitting in the waiting room a beautiful 3 or 4 year old girl with no hair skipped into the clinic happy and cheery with her mom as she was about to receive her daily dose of radiation.  I told myself, if she can be happy and cheery before her radiation, then I better suck it up and quit feeling sorry for myself.  My radiation days went much better after being inspired by a brave little girl!

5 down…3 to go

“Today I’m stepping in for our sun-tanning, LivingSTRONG RockStar, and I’ll tell you what: Tim’s LivingSTRONG strength is showing. This transplant business is NOT for the weak of heart. We just retuned from his 5th TBI session; the first 6 are given with lung blocks. Tomorrow’s radiation will be full total body.He’s not the perkiest, but he’s OK! In fact, after a bit of a rough start to the day, I heard him drumming to Everlasting God in the car on our way to treatment! God bless you and yours! Your encouragement is carrying Tim. Stop by often & say “hey.” He checks his email & blog regularly. God is good all the time; it’s a matter of trust.”

Sun-tanning

soaking in the rays on lake lowell

I’ve got about 5 minutes before I need to go, so this is going to be quick.  I started my conditioning phase on Saturday.  I received Palifermin on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and then today through Friday I go for full body radiation twice a day.  The radiation is just like going to the beach and tanning… or so that’s what I’m going to think in my mind.  It’s going to be nice and relaxing and I’m just going to sit there and soak in the rays. 

The next 4 days schedule looks like this, 8am-Radiation at the hospital, then I drive back to the clinic for a blood draw and a clinic visit, then I drive back to the hospital for more radiation at 2pm.  In between the radiation visits I’ll be on an IV for 4 hours so I’ll need to carry around a backpack which will hold a portable pump. 

I think the hardest part this morning is waking up and getting going.  My body knows something bad is going to happen, and so it’s wondering why I keep getting up to go for more.

“Are you kidding me?”

Wow!

at the Seattle Aquarium

I have had a weekend full of unbelievable surprises and events!  Thanks to everyone who played a part.  First of all, Benjy and Susie and Annie and Riley and my dad all flew up to visit and spend my birthday with me.  It was great fun to get to spend time with them!  Also, my mailbox was flooded with over 50 birthday cards and packages, and my e-mail, facebook, and blog pages were filled with birthday wishes as well.  Thank you all very much, it means so much to me to have the support and encouragement from all of you!

older brothers never let up! getting jabbed in the side a week after lung surgery

 

BUT, there was one special surprise that happened tonight which I’m still not even sure if it was real or if I was dreaming.  I got a phone call from Coach Pete (head football coach at Boise State for those easterners who don’t follow football)!  What an incredibly humble man.  I was so honored to receive a call from him.  His son, now 11, had a brain tumor and underwent a stem cell transplant, so he knows all about the whole process.  He wanted to know all the details on where I was staying, and if I was going to receive my own cells or a donor’s cells etc.  He said he can’t wait for me to get well so he can meet me in person and give me a tour of the football facilities.  He also assured me that Boise State will be in a “good bowl” next year :)  

I’m starting to hear bits and pieces on how some of you may have played a role in getting this to become a reality, and I am VERY GRATEFUL!!!  I just wish I had a few more years of eligibility left.  I’m not sure how a high school recruit could turn down an offer from such an incredible coach. 

Coach Pete!

 

"Hi Tim, this is Chris Petersen with Boise State Football!" my response: "Are you kidding me!?!?!"

 

                            Now onto some medical news for the day.  After several delays, we finally had my data review appointment today which outlined the schedule for the stem cell transplant.  I have finally gotten the go-ahead to move forward.  I am scheduled to begin the conditioning phase on Saturday, March 6.  For 10 days I will be receiving high doses of chemo and radiation, and then March 17 is when the transplant date is set and is when I will receive my stem cells.    

Thanks again to everyone for your support, encouragement, prayers, and making my 27th birthday a very special one!

LivingSTRONG!

Tim

Cast Away…finally discharged from the hospital

Well, I’m finally out of the hospital and back in the apartment.  It was a lengthier stay than anticipated, but everything is good now.  After my lung surgery I developed a 3mm air leak in my lung, which soon grew to 6mm, and then grew to 2cm.  After 6 days in the hospital the leak finally started healing and I was discharged.   I’m left with 3 sore incisions a little longer than an inch each, but I am breathing much easier now that the chest tube is gone.  It ended up that the chunk that they removed from my lung was 2cm by 3cm by 8cm.  So far, all the results coming back have all been negative, so they’ve never really figured out what it was.  I met with my team doctor today and it was determined that we would let me recover about another week before we begin the transplant process. 

while in the hospital, my hair started growing like a weed!

6mm

6 millimeters… it’s hardly visible to the naked eye, but can make for a huge difference in a bunch of things.  My first thoughts would be to make an analogy with a sporting event, for instance, in baseball it could be the difference between a home-run and a long fly ball.  But really, is that true? I mean 6mm is pretty small, I somehow think there is a little more than a 6mm forgiveness when hitting a baseball out of the park.  But, what about a 6mm air-leak on a cycling tire?  How long would a tire hold air if there was a 6mm air-leak? 

Well, I’m still in the hospital because of a 6mm air-leak.  At first I was like, “are you kidding me?”.  How can you see a 6mm air leak on an x-ray?  But then I got to thinking, that I am very grateful for the skilled radiologist who saw this mi-nute leak.  Because, much like a cycling tire, a small air leak is ok in the short run, but over time, an air-leak in the lungs can become very dangerous.  So, even though I had not planned on sitting in a hospital room for the past 4 days with an uncomfortable chest tube dangling out of my chest, I know it’s for the best.  Apparently I guess if I swallow some gum, it will only plug the hole for 7 years, and they’re looking for a longer term fix :)

Somehow, going into this procedure, I didn’t think it was that major of a surgery.  But really, I’m not sure how or why I thought that as I knew that they were going to have to collapse my lung to get to the area.  The day after surgery was definitely one of the more painful days I’ve experienced, and I’m still reminded of the chest tube every breath I take, but today I was able to walk two loops, and I’m starting to be able to think a little clearer.  Let’s just mark this one on the list of things I probably won’t want to do again. 

LivingSTRONG!

Tim

Not yet…

Husky Stadium, Lake Washington, Blue Skies, & Sunshine

While it’s a great view, we didn’t expect to be in the hospital today. But the right top of Tim’s lung is still a bit “flat,” so the Dr chose to leave the suction tube in one more day. (Tim says it feels like he has a chicken bone stuck in his lung–not good!)

However, the initial reports coming in from the pathologist are great news; it’s not Hodgkin’s! The BIG question of “what is it?” is still unknown.

So…while things are still out of our control, this is the day the LORD has made, and His love endures forever!

God is good all the time; it’s a matter of trust.
Phyllis

RockStar…

Well, about 9:00 this morning our RockStar had his thoracic surgery at the UW Medical Center. It only took about 45 min for Dr Mulligan to remove a wedge of Tim’s lung that contained all 3 of the “lung issues”:  the one calcified nodule plus the infection and the 2 new, smaller nodules. The wedge was sent to the path lab, and we should have results in 5-7 days.
 
Tim got to his room (on the 8th floor overlooking Huskie Stadium) at 1:00 p.m., and from there it’s been a “normal” day after just having had surgery: much pain, nausea, etc. They keep telling him he’ll feel well enough in the morning to go home, but as yet, he’s not buying! 

During yesterday’s appointment, Dr. Turtle, our transplant doctor, said his “gut feeling” is that we’ll give Tim a week or so to heal from the surgery & then proceed w/ transplant.
  
Thank you for praying and for your many words of encouragement to Tim.  He’ll be back online soon!
 
God is good all the time; it’s a matter of trust.
Phyllis (mom)

RockStars!

Rockin to "I Love Rock & Roll"

Well, most of you thought you would be seeing a picture of me in the hospital recovering from surgery… well, our schedules changed… again … and the surgery is delayed until Friday.  So in the mean time, we went to the Experience Music Project and became Rock Stars! 

I did meet the surgeon today, Dr. Michael Mulligan.  He’s quite the surgeon.  He is the only lung transplant doctor in the Northwest and is on call 24/7.  The downside is that if a transplant comes up, then I will be delayed again.  He seems pretty confident that he will be able to remove the abnormality in my lung by doing a VATS  procedure, which is much less invasive than the alternative.  He stated that if his partner were doing the procedure that I would have an incision 6-10 inches and he would have to spread apart my ribcage and remove a rib to be able to get to the area.  I’m very thankful to be able to get in with Dr. Mulligan in short notice.  I’ll probably be in the hospital at least one-two nights until they can remove the breathing tube.

quick update

My Aunt Ronna and Cousin Rachel left this morning, and we were sad to see them go.  We had a great time with them!  The only downside was that it rained every single day they were here.  But today, as soon as they left, the sun came out :) While they were here they saw a glimpse of  how fast my schedule can change.

On Thursday I received a schedule stating that I was going to begin my conditioning phase on Saturday.  On Friday I was told to throw that schedule away because we were delayed again.  My most recent CT scan revealed that the “thing” in my lung had decreased in size, but that there were two more new “things” that just showed up in this last scan.  When we left the clinic I was given a schedule telling me to come back on Monday for another dr. visit, around 5pm my mom got a call from the clinic with 2 more appointments on Tuesday, and then about 6pm, I received a call telling me to dis-regard all of those appointments because they’ve scheduled me for Thoracic surgery on Wednesday. 

So, as of now, that’s the plan.  On Wednesday I’m scheduled for Thoracic surgery to either remove the “thing(s)” or get a biopsy.  So far, all of the results from the last biopsy have all been negative. Not a whole lot more to update at this point.

At the table with Rachel and Ronna while it's raining outside

One year ago…

I was sitting down ready to write a big sentimental post since one year ago on Tuesday (Feb. 9th) was when I was first diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  I was thinking how I would recount how the past year has forever changed my life, but I must have writer’s block, because not a whole lot is coming to my mind.  The thing is, when I say that my life has forever been changed, most people will probably read into that statement and assume that it has changed in a bad way, but that isn’t necessarily the case.  It’s just a fact, that my life is much different, and will always be different, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The truth is that I have grown so much throughout the last year.  I have been able to interact with many people that I would have never interacted with had it not been for this experience. 

As I recount back one year ago to the day that Dr. Schwarz informed me that I had Hodgkins Lymphoma, I remember many many questions and thoughts running through my head about the unknown and what the future held for me.  Here I am, one year later, and the same is true, many many thoughts run through my head about the unknown of the future.  Even though there are many questions about the unknown of the future,  what I do know, is that God has carried me through and provided for me this past year, and I have faith that He will continue to carry me through and provide for me moving forward. 

Today I had another CT scan of my chest and we also had our weekly doctors visit, but still no results regarding what is in my lung.  Tomorrow we are scheduled for my data review, and supposedly they’re supposed to have a little more info.  We got the hint from my nurse today that the doctor is likely going to tell us in the data review tomorrow that we’re ready to move forward.  If that is the case, it sounds like I could begin as soon as Saturday. 

Today my dad flew in as well as my Aunt Ronna and Cousin Rachel from Reno.  It’s going to be a quick weekend as we try to squeeze in as many Seattle sites as we can while they are here, but I am excited to spend it with them!

On a side note, my mom and I went to Microsoft this week.  While I was there, I was offered the CEO position to take over for Steve Ballmer.  Here I’m seen going to my orientation, but it looks like if I’m going to start my transplant process this week, I might have to turn down the job and the millions of dollars that would come with it and go through the transplant. 

being the CEO of Microsoft really isn't all it's cracked up to be... they still make you go to the new employee orientation with everyone else

Blooming!

My caregiver…and mother! ps: Aunt Nancy, you can see me in the reflection wearing a “red” hat… that’s about as clear a picture as I think I can put of that hat on my blog!

This is going to be short because there really isn’t a whole lot to report.  I had a successful bronchoscopy on Tuesday, but they still don’t have the full results yet.  All of the preliminary results have all been negative, but some of the tests could take up to 4-6 weeks.  I had an appointment today with my doctor and he said that even though it could take up to a month to get some of the results back, he didn’t think we would wait that long to start the transplant process.  I’ll let you know more when I know more. 

On a side note, Seattle just had the warmest January on record.  Everything is already starting to bloom.  Here’s a picture of my mom as we were walking downtown the other day. 

Delayed

The transplant is delayed until they find out what is on my lungs

 

  Well, yesterday (Sunday) was supposed to be the first day of my conditioning phase, where I begin getting high dosages of radiation and chemo, but the process has been delayed.  During the past week one of the tests revealed a spot on my right lung that the doctors aren’t sure what it is, and they don’t want to proceed until they know.  So, instead of having chemo, I got 4 clinic-free days to do whatever I wanted!  It was perfect timing as Derek, one of my best friends from college, flew in from Ohio for the weekend, and so we had plenty of time to see the Seattle sites.  The clinic gave us free passes to go up the space needle, go on a site seeing harbor cruise, and also to a basketball game (which by the end I was too tired to go to the basketball game), but we had a great time. 

This weeks schedule is tentatively pretty light until they can find out what is on my lung.  I’m scheduled for a bronchoscopy on Tuesday, where they will stick a small camera up my nose and down to my lungs to hopefully find a diagnosis.  My mom has a few “care giver” classes that she has to attend, but other than a few blood draws, that’s about all we have scheduled for now for this week.  This morning we took both Derek and my dad to the airport to fly back to their respective destinations. 

Derek and I enjoying a cup of coffee...trying to fit in as Seattle-ites

The apartment is now complete…

Our living room...complete with a ROCKING CHAIR!

Well, the apartment is now complete… we have a ROCKING CHAIR!!!  Thanks to my brother Matt and his kind sacrifice, we picked up a rocking chair from his house on Sunday and brought it back.  We also had a great time of worship at his church.  Last week and this week are filled with all sorts of pre-transplant testing, and then Friday is our Data Review.  This is where we meet with my medical team and review all the results from the tests and decide if the proposed schedule is still the best treatment plan. 

The interesting thing about a stem cell transplant that I have learned over my time here, is that the actual transplant is not what will cure me, but rather it allows them to give me higher doses of chemo and radiation.  If you think about a garden or a lawn that has weeds (cancer) in it, at first you try to kill the weeds while still trying to save most of the lawn or garden, this is similar to the first rounds of chemo that I went through.  The goal was to eliminate the cancer with the least amount of damage to the rest of my body.  But, somehow there were still seed cancer cells that survived.  So now we are going to spray roundup and kill everything and start fresh.  So first we harvested new seeds (stem cell harvest), and then we’ll go in with the roundup (high dose radiation and chemo) which will knock out the whole lawn (good cells and bad cells), and then I’ll have the transplant where they plant new cells to begin growing again. 

As with starting a new lawn, it takes a while for the seeds to begin growing, and during that time they are real vulnerable and fragile.  A doctor explained that it takes about 10 days for the stem cells to begin growing, and during that time it will be the “10 most hellish days I can imagine”, he explained that I will be flat on my back and I may not have enough energy to talk, BUT then the “miracle of stem cell re-growth will begin which will SAVE me!”.  The old technique of a transplant was a bone marrow transplant where they would take bone marrow out of the bone and then transplant back into the bone, but now they use stem cells.  The amazing thing about stem cells is that there are not necessarily “bone marrow stem cells”, or “white blood cell stem cells” etc, but rather just stem cells. Once the stem cells are in the body, they figure out what they need to become (”…for we are fearfully and wonderfully made!”).

Today my mom is about to head to a nutrition class and then we’re heading to the UW hospital for a TBI (Total Body Irradiation) simulation.  Not quite sure what that is, but I’m sure I’ll find out once I’m there!

10 hour drive…or 1 hour flight???

The paparazzi were waiting to see me in the van with my parents... but I pulled a fast one and flew instead!

Well, I’m back at it again.  Contrary to public opinion, and to confuse the paparazzi, I pulled a double agenda change :)   I was originally going to come up this weekend, but my appointments got changed, so I was going to drive up with my parents on Wednesday.  At the last minute, I was posed with the option to drive 10 hours with my parents, or take a 1 hour flight. As someone stated, at least my mind is still somewhat in tact as I ingeniously chose the 1 hour flight.  I arrived yesterday at 11:30am, got a quick bite to eat, and then headed to the clinic for my first appointment which was at 1:00pm.  After several appointments of being poked, prodded, and tested for numerous things, I finally walked out of the clinic around 6:00pm with a card stating that I was radioactive for the next 2 days.  In one of the tests, they took out some of my blood and mixed it with radioactive material, and then injected it back in me while they videotaped my heart for about 30 minutes.  No wonder I have cancer!!! hahaha

We had a chance to move into our new apartment yesterday too.  We are staying at the Pete Gross House instead of the SCCA House.  Pete Gross was the voice of the Seahawks and helped build this 70 unit apartment building specifically designed for transplant patients.  There are strict guidelines designed to keep the building as germ-free as possible.  At times there can be a long waiting list to get into the house, but we were able to get right in.  This time, since my parents drove up, we had a chance to pack more of our belongings to hopefully make it feel a little bit more “homey”.  We are on the fourth floor and have a view of Lake Union, and only about 1/2 mile from the clinic. 

Our new address is

525 Minor Avenue North

Apt. #414

Seattle, WA 98109

view of lake union from my bedroom window... this is also where there is a water airport, so we've already seen many planes taking off and landing on the lake

Transplant on?

The view of Lake Union from the transplant waiting room

Well thank you for everyone who has prayed for me and my family!  My parents and I arrived safely home last night and were excited to sleep in our own beds again.  Unfortunately, we are only home for a short period of time as my treatment plan has changed over the course of the past few days. 

My parents and I met with Dr. Bensinger, who is regarded as one of the top researchers specialized in Hodgkins Lymphoma and Stem Cell transplants.  Dr. Bensinger explained to us that since the cancer came back so soon, it’s possible that it is much more aggressive than we had originally thought, and therefore our original treatment plan may not be enough.  The original plan was that I would go through 2 cycles of chemo, store my stem cells, and then go through radiation, and only use the stem cells if the cancer returned at a later date.  It’s his opinion that we should stay on the offensive, and go forward with a stem cell transplant now, and not sit back and wait for the cancer to come back, but do everything we can right now while it is down.  We deliberated with my original doctor, Dr Cunningham, about this thought, and he explained that he has the utmost respect for Dr. Bensinger, and that he concurs with his opinion.  So the decision has been made to go forward with the transplant. 

At first the idea of a transplant took all of us by surprise.  The thought that “I’m not even that sick, certainly I don’t need a transplant?” keeps going through my head, but over the course of a couple days, everything fell into place and became more and more evident that this is the right course of treatment.  Right after we left Dr. Cunningham’s office to head back to see Dr. Bensinger, the two must have just gotten off the phone and Dr. Cunningham relayed our decision to Dr. Bensinger.  As soon as we walked in the clinic our nurse came out to greet us and said that Dr. Bensinger had just announced throughout the hallways “Transplant On” about a minute before we arrived.

So, now we have decided to go through with a transplant, what’s next?

My next appointment up in Seattle is January 25.  During the first week I will be going through multiple tests to determine baselines for my heart, lungs, etc. etc. The following week I will go through a conditioning phase of radiation and extremely high doses of chemo.  And then on February 11, I am scheduled for the stem cell transplant.  This is an autologaus transplant, which means that I will be using my own stem cells that I stored this past weekend, and I won’t be using a donor’s cells.  There is a lot more information to explain and cover, but I will explain more over the course of time.

13.9 million!!!

my niece Annie is happy for my success!!! (Benjy and Susie's 19 month daughter)

That’s right folks, that’s how many stem cells they collected from me today!  They kept telling me that my goal was 5 million, and that it could take several days before they collect enough, but in day one I came through with a clutch performance and garnered out nearly 14 million!  Everyone was pretty impressed.  In fact, I’m willing to put my record on the line… anyone who can beat my one day record I’ll buy a steak dinner!!! :)

I’ve got blood tests every morning for 3 days, and then Tuesday morning I will meet with my medical team.  It looks like I might be able to come home possibly Tuesday night or Wednesday!

Happy Anniversary!!!

with my grandparents on Christmas Eve 2009

First and foremost I want to wish my grandparents (Tom and Ellen Codr) a happy happy anniversary! January 8 is their 70th anniversary!!! Some have wondered how I can find joy in difficult circumstances, and I have to tell you that part of it stems from the example my grandparents have set before me.  Their love for each other and faith and trust in God through good times and bad times has set a tremendous model for those around to follow.  I can also tell you that they are my #1 prayer warriors.  Everytime I’ve ever gone to their house, even as a little kid I can vouch, that every morning begins with devotions and prayer for each and every child and grandchild.  I love and miss you guys!!!

It’s possible that tomorrow could be a pretty busy day.  The reason I say it “could” be busy is because depending upon how my blood counts are in the morning will determine if I have a procedure to put a port in my neck.  Though my veins are good enough for a vein to vein (see Merry Christmas post for explanation) harvest, they have strongly recommended to put in the neck port (mahurkar catheter).  Right now my blood counts are on their way down, and then they will bottom out, and then spike.  Once they begin to spike is when they will do the stem cell harvest. Because the Mahurkar is uncomfortable, they don’t want to have it in longer than necessary, so if my blood counts are up tomorrow, then I will have surgery at 2pm for the port, if not, then I won’t. 

In preparation for surgery I have to cleanse the area tonight and in the morning with a special solution, I also can’t eat 8 hrs. prior (which is a LONG time for me since I’m typically eating about every 2-3 hours), so I’m planning on getting up at 5am for breakfast, 7:30am blood draw, 9:20am appointment with Dr. Cunningham (at a different clinic), 10am daily neupogen shot, 10:45am nutritionist appointment, and then depending on my blood counts surgery at 2pm. 

So tonight I was planning on going to bed early in preparation for my 5am wake up call, but unfortunately I did a dumb thing!  I can tell you that everything is alright now, but it was a dumb dumb thing.  As I was washing my neck with the special solution I completely forgot about my PICC line in my arm and got it wet!  There about a million reasons why this was a dumb thing 1) Currently I’m neutropenic (basically without an immune system) so it doesn’t take much for me to get an uncontrollable infection 2) I’m scheduled for surgery tomorrow and if I have an infection then the surgery is delayed which means the harvest is delayed (which really can’t get delayed because there is a specific time when this is supposed to happen, not earlier, not later).  Anyway, so I called the clinic and thankfully there was a nurse still there that was willing to change my dressing.  We typically ride the shuttle from our house to the clinic, but the shuttle does run at night, so we had to walk.  It’s not far, probably a mile, but that’s quite a ways for me :)   Good base training for my triathlon!  But all is good, we walked to the clinic, got it changed, and walked back…AND now I’m going to bed!

LivingSTRONG!!!

Tim

Thanksgiving 2009

A whole new world…

Congratulations to coach Pete and Boise State!  That was an amazing game.  My blood pressure got pretty high during the game, but I’m alright now :)   Dr. Cunningham, my main doctor, called me immediately following the game to check in on me, and send his congratulations.  I got to thinking before the game that I only packed a couple shirts that weren’t blue and orange, and that it could be a long time up here if  BSU hadn’t won.  But I can continue to wear them proudly!

Today was my first visit to the national renowned Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center and the SCCA clinic.  It’s definitely a whole new world.  Today I think I had 4 appointments, and tomorrow I have another 4 or 5 (they all run together after a while).  The complex is huge, and you file through the system like passengers through an airport.  I was given an id card at registration and I hand it to every person I meet everywhere I go.  The Nurse Practioner and Nurse were nice and personable, but everywhere else in the clinic I feel like I’m just a number.  I’m used to my bald head and my charm getting me extra treatment, but at this clinic, I had to wait in the lines with all the other bald heads (I can say that since I’m one of them).  It doesn’t take very long hanging out in “this world” to find out that there are a lot more people a lot worse off than I am.  It seems that the opening introductions seem to all be similar: “Where are you from?” “How long have you been here?”  “How much longer do you have?” “What’s your diagnosis?”, I’m sure it’s probably similar to the introductions in prison…hahaha  I really am super blessed.  Today my blood counts were good, and the nurse went through about a dozen common side effects that I could be having, but I am not experiencing any of them.  I’m still very weak and tired, but the side effects have been minimal compared to what they could be.

Another change that I noticed today is the way that I fill out medical history forms.  I used to be able to cruise through and check “no” on everything, but this time I had to really think on every question.  One in particular stuck out to me: “Do you get winded after two flights of stairs?”.  I had to answer “yes” to this question, but I felt that I needed to give a little explanation.  I wrote in the margin that if you give me a couple weeks, I could probably beat you up several flights of stairs…and not be winded!

At this point we’ve got appointments every day this week and we’re just waiting for my blood counts to get high enough to begin the Stem Cell Harvest. 

We had a great time tonight as Matt and Marie and the kids came over and brought dinner! 

eating a manly meal!!! Mott's applesauce, and Gatorade

Address

Many have asked what the address is to where we are staying, so here it is:

207 Pontius Avenue N #412

Seattle, WA 98109

Also if anyone is interested, here is a link that gives a little more info…. http://www.seattlecca.org/SCCAHouse.cfm