Posting Comments - a lesson from a teenager (ex)

Dear all,
a few people have had fun adding comments to the blog, so here is a small tutorial.

Having chosen a particular post to comment on - click on the green 'comments' link at the foot of the post.  You may find the comments already displayed, in which case just move down to the comment box at the foot of the comment section.  Type in your comment.  At this point I recommend taking a copy of the text you type - there is nothing more frustrating than losing that fantastic witicism to the vagaries of software! 
Below the comment box is a small box labelled "Comment as" with a drop down arrow. Click on the drop down arrow which provides options. Now if you have a Google / AIM or listed account you can select those options. If you use this I recommend that you have logged in prior to writing your comment!!  If you don't have such an account you can select "Anonymous" or "Name / URL" - put in a name that I'll recognise so that I don't delete your comment.  I tested with Name/URL (no URL required) and got a comment to review in my e-mail with that name listed - so it appears to work.

I hope this helps those who would like to leave their personal messages.  Still have problems - email me & I'll post for you.

Update
I'm at home on day 6 of Chemo 5, so blood counts are dropping & I have to be a good boy and avoid infection for a few days.  I have a short chemo session on Friday with blood tests and at this point we will see how I'm responding with respect to Neutropenia & blood counts for platelets etc.  I'll let you know more when I know more!!  11:48pm - time for bed - nite nite all.

Chemo 5 of 8 has commenced and an update on Stem cell harvests

Hi Guys n Gals,
I'm back in Greenslopes this time with a city view, room 22, they must have felt sorry for me!! I came in yesterday 6th, having been absent (awol possibly) since Sunday 26th when the harvests completed.
So updating from Hayleys post from a few weeks ago.  Firstly we had to create an escape plan also known as epacse nalp, I was getting seriously stir crazy - some of you may have seen this on facebook.

Hayleys blog expected the harvest to be on or around Monday 20th Feb, no such luck, by the following Friday I was able to go home but the thought was that we had missed the stem cell harvest window of opportunity. Here is a picture of my blood counts - when you see neutrophils at zero, this is the Neutropenic isolation stage.  (You can tell I was stir crazy!) The next day they shot up & I could escape.

Once I was home the next day I got the call "your stem cells are ready to be harvested" - so back to hospital on the Saturday after Fridays release!  Stem cells are "immature" cells which become white cells, red cells or platelets as your body requires.  Harvesting entails tricking your bone marrow to release stem cells into the blood stream, taking your blood through a machine which separates the blood by the density of its components, then spinning off the stem cell components.  Each harvest for me takes about 6 hours if all goes well, 6 hours where you are unable to move the arm where they take off the blood or get out of the bed/chair!!  In that time they effectively run your whole blood volume through the machine 3 times.
The aim of the harvest was to obtain 10 milli thingies per milli wotsits per kg of weight - just remember 10!  With the stem cell count Willi (Wilhemina) the nurse, reckoned that a count of 19 would give us 1.9 - so that was the target for Saturday, the result of which we received on Sunday at 3.1 - so I was a very good boy - however - after the Saturday harvest I was scheduled for a routine platelet transfusion, my fourth. You can guess that after the 20 minute transfusion I reacted, pulse around 140bpm, shakes, very itchy rash - bugger!! Anyway they stabilised me & set me up for another night in hospital for monitoring.
Next morning Willi turned up expecting to see me stroll up at 8:30 & there I was in the bed - she was confused!!  My stem cell count on Sunday was around 55, so that would deliver say 5.5, totalling 8.6 potentially, remember we needed 10.  Back on the machine for 6 hours, this time with a really nice hot air blanket (not powered by me!) - this was ideal for an immobile state and with Hospital cool air con!!  Here I am under the blanket with the machine to my left.  Below are the harvested stem cells.

Finally I escaped the hospital Sunday afternoon.  Monday I got the call that we totalled 9.5 (well done Alan) and no need for a further harvest.  To put the 10 requirement into perspective, they use the following amounts for stem cell transplants - USA 2.0, Europe 2.5, private Doctors in Aus. 5.0 - so we have plenty for a number of transplants if required.  The stem cells have been further analysed and separated off in a specialist lab and are now frozen awaiting any future requirement for transplant.

Following the harvesting I've had just over a week of recovery (I was very tired Monday/ Tuesday post harvest) where I have been able to do a few things - drinkies (non-alcoholic for me) with work colleagues Wednesday, watched some climbing / socialising Friday evening, went with Kyle and Liz to the Redcliffe triathlon on Sunday - so some fresh air there. I even went to work for a few hours Monday - ostensibly for lunch but that fell over, and I attended the Management meeting Tuesday - for brain stimulation prior to coming in for the Chemo - I'm not sure which is the lesser of two evils!!

I'm in now for chemo round 5, the A cycle which is the gentler of the two, hopefully I will be out on Friday, possibly Saturday - we will see!  Counts will drop with the low expected a week on Friday 16th, however hopefully we could manage this with me being at home, it all depends on my blood counts!!

I hope this has filled you in with Hairy Mels goings on.  I'll give another brief(er) update probably around the time of my next blood count low - so end of next week ish!!

Keep well, keep reading, thanks for any comments, and remember if you have a persistent ailment - see your Doctor!!