Super Duper Stem Cell Producer

Super Duper Stem Cell Producer        12-28-22

Apheresis Day 2      

2.46 + 6.2 = 8.66 mil

Fantabulous!

Today got off to a fabulous start!!  Early morning labs looked good. Their focus is on the number of stem cells circulating in Leila's blood stream.  That's what leads to a good collection.  Last night they gave Leila a different growth factor shot to push the stem cells out of her bone marrow and send them running through her blood stream.  Kinda like squeezing a sponge I suppose.   And wowee!!  Those stem cells ran rampant today. Could it be from the ice cream?

The minimum circulation goal for today was 20, just like yesterday. Yesterday morning’s calculation was 29. Today it’s 83!!!!!  Yippee!!  She got hooked up to the machine and everything flowed smoothly.  Michelle, the nurse who's been sitting with us every moment the past two days, was encouraging about it being a good day.

The total goal for collection was 6 million stem cells. Yesterday they retrieved 2.46 million. Today 6.2 million!  That’s a total of 8.66 million stem cells!!!  Wowee!!!  More than enough for what they need for two stem cell transplants.  They can keep them frozen for up to twenty years and they’ll still be viable when they are thawed. We had set aside three and a half days for this process and finished in just two. We’re very thankful for that. 

End of the day labs looked good.  Self-care recommendations were to exercise, eat kale, bananas and more ice cream!!!

No more medical appointments for 5 days. We get a few days to relax, reflect, and enjoy the end of 2022. What a year it’s been.  2023 begins with a bang on the 3rd. More on that later.