Let the Trial Begin!

When I first started this blog, the idea was to chronicle my second autologous stem-cell transplant (SCT) for the benefit of those who might find themselves following in my footsteps. Many have decided to keep a diary of the experience but few have actually done it, mostly because they find themselves in too much pain or discomfort. Maybe I won't be able to do it either, but that was the idea. As so many of you have noticed, my rate of posting has come down considerably over the last few weeks.

Then, when the SCT was ruled out fourteen months ago, I decided I would take you with me all the way to the end, wherever that turned out to be.

Now here we are, in April. I never imagined living this long, let alone finding myself facing a risky, reduced-intensity allogeneic transplant. Friday I move into the hospital (23rd April, 2010, 9am). If I'm lucky I'll be home again in a month. Getting to go home does not mark the end of the procedure, but does signal a good end of the beginning. If I'm not, if I'm unlucky, I could spend from now until September in the transplant unit of Scripps Green Hospital. There's a good chance the procedure will kill me, a chance that I learned today is higher than I had previously thought.

Some time soon I will be trying to convert my blog to the mandated Blogger format. I'll send you a message from the other side when it's done.

("The other side" sounds spooky, now that I've written it. I don't mean THAT other side!)