Big C Update

The Neupogen shots start tomorrow... well, it's after midnight, so I guess they start today. The harvest begins on Tuesday. If you missed it, here's a very brief outline of the Stem Cell Transplant process, with links to more detailed sites.

I haven't even mentioned that, since my diagnosis, I have been going to monthly MM support group meetings. They are a great bunch of people, and I'm really touched that so many of them still come regularly, although their transplant, or primary treatment, may have been years ago. I will see them on Monday, the evening before the harvest begins, and I'm sure they will be supportive and offer good advice and suggestions. It just happens that the 8-10 regulars are all married. I'm having a very different experience because of my single status. Still, they have been open, and kind, and extended very sincere offers of help, and I'll be grateful to accept those offers soon. In one sense, they have accentuated my "aloneness," but in another, they help diminish it.

I won't blog about the transplant; it's going to be a rough road and I'd rather use this as a pleasant distraction. Plus, I think there may be other cancer patients out there reading this. Every person's experience will be different, and I don't want to add to anyone's anxieties. If I happen to have a funny experience, or a particularly heartwarming experience, I probably won't be able to resist sharing that with you, but I'll skip the gory stuff. Let's all just think good thoughts and sprinkle ourselves with pixie dust!