So Much Information!

Today we gave our time to Memorial Sloan Kettering. It was a learning day. We were given a lot of information about the transplant and what to expect. When we arrived Jimmy had to have blood work (again). He is a difficult stick. Over the last two years all the chemo he has received has taken a toll on his veins. Luckily he got an excellent phlebotomist who found a vein the first time and he took seven vials of blood. Our second stop was meeting Chelsea the social worker. Jim has talked to her several times before but only on the phone. She was very sweet, probably 30 years old. She asked us a lot of questions about our support network. Proud to say we have a great one of those.  She also asked us questions about financial help, where I will be staying during the hospitalization time and other things. Chelsea is the one who will help us secure a place to live at the Hope Lodge after Jimmy is discharged from the hospital.

After meeting with Chelsea we met with the transplant nurse coordinator, Barbara. She was training a new nurse so we met with the two of them. The trainee went over the admission process and roughly what to expect during the first 30 days. They gave us a binder of papers to review. Luckily Jim and I have already read and researched what is involved with a bone marrow transplant so we were ahead of the game. Then Dr. Sauter came in. He is the transplant doctor. He told us he liked the results of the most recent PET scan. The only area he was puzzled about was Jim's right bicep. He didn't know why that lit up on the scan. Jim pointed out that the last day or so his armpit area was tender and a little swollen. Dr. Sauter examined him and decided to do an ultrasound to rule out a blood clot. One common side effect of one of the chemo drugs he was on was blood clots.

Next stop was the dental office. Jim had to be cleared of any cavities or mouth abnormalities before going to transplant. We had to call his dentist in Virginia to have his most recent x-rays faxed over. All was good. Lastly he had an ultrasound of his upper arm and chest area looking for a blood clot. Luckily the report was good.



Five hours later we finally left the hospital to board the shuttle back to the Hope Lodge. Jim and I like to sit in the same two seats each time. I guess it's a creature of habit thing. The shuttle drivers are all different. Today we had Malcolm the whistler. He tunes the radio to 80's rock music and whistles along when he is not talking on his cell phone giving dating advice to his brothers.
Then there is Louie. He is a talkative native New Yorker who was a stunt man for movies when he was younger. He has shown us pictures of himself with Johnny Depp and other actors.  Lastly there is Eugene, who is pouty and quiet. Eugene is very courteous though. He slows the shuttle down when approaching pot holes in the road and he always offers a hand when deboarding the shuttle.

Tomorrow is a free day. It is supposed to be nice. We will take a long walk.