Break in Treatment!!

During the white-out snow storm Monday, Carla saw Dr. Barlogie and he approved her taking a two week break. She got the triple lumen catheter out just before things shut down at the medical center due to the five inches of snow. We hurried back to the apartment and decided to try to get out of Little Rock.


During a downpour that turned the snow into slush, we loaded the car and left about 3:00. After consulting the Arkansas and Missouri road condition map, I decided to take the westerly route via Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Joplin. The first hour was difficult driving. There were lots of cars and trucks in the ditch but we made it. After Russellville, the roads were wet and it was snowing but we could make good time. East of Joplin, the snow started sticking and we had to crawl back the last 20 miles but we arrived home shortly after 9:00.

Little Rock would have been a frozen sheet of ice on Tuesday and probably wouldn't have been a good time to leave either.

Carla's daughter, Carissa, graduated with her Masters in December and arrived at our house about two hours prior to our arrival so she had the house warmed up before we got there.

Due to Carla's two blood clots, she had to get a daily Lovenox shot. Growing up on the farm I had given shots to livestock. I find giving Carla her daily Lovenox injection to be more stressful. Only 11 more shots! Carla has to get blood work done on Mondays and Thursdays with the results faxed to the Myeloma Institute. They have to draw additional vials on Monday and overnight them to Little Rock for running the myeloma marker tests.

We plan to return on Sunday, Feb. 21 with testing on Monday and Tuesday, Dr. appointment and catheter implant on Wednesday, high dose of Mephalan chemo on Thursday followed by stem cell transplant on Friday. Depending on Carla's response, it will take 2 to 3 weeks for her recovery from this treatment before we can return home. I guess that shots most of March.

The treatment protocol says we can start the second stem cell transplant anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months after the start of the first transplant.