How to prepare for a stem cell transplant
Almost a month has gone by since Sarah left to visit our home in Arrowtown. I had great hope of joining her, but that is not the way to prepare for a stem cell transplant. I asked the medics for approval to fly to NZ, but the answer was not what I wanted to hear. Instead of leaving Sydney for a couple of weeks, I was strongly advised to take care and to do much less; even to self-isolate if I could manage it. I was to avoid restaurants, theatre, crowds, public transport. No more socialising. I spent 6 hours in the hospital undergoing pre therapy assessment. This included a gated heart pool scan to test if my heart is strong enough for the treatment ahead. So far so good. However, my blood levels indicate that whilst paraproteins have reduced to 3g/l (the cancer is still present) I am highly susceptible to infection. If I catch Covid or even something simple like the common cold, all treatment could be delayed. For once, I have had to be sensible. For the last week, I h...