DAY 9 APRIL 2




They call it a catheter...I would call it a port
My Preferred Look

So today was the day they put in my catheter. I went up to the 3rd floor with Khalid and Raul. This is the first time I have met them. Their rooms are in a different area than mine. Khalid is here with his father from Kuwait. Raul is here from Romania with his wife. Khalid is young. Probably late 20's. Raul is probably early 40's. Weird how undiscriminating MS is.

So you lay down on a examining table and they slather a bunch of alcohol on your neck. They tell you to turn your neck to the left and don't move. Then you are numbed and finally they insert the catheter. All you feel is something being shoved in you neck. Not my thing. The product of a doctor and a nurse that gene missed me completely.

Finally after the procedure they took us to the x-ray machine to take a picture and make sure it was inserted correctly.

It took a nap and several more hours before I felt comfortable. I am now more at one with my new appendage.

Khalid was very kind. He offered me help walking back and forth from the 3rd floor. It amazes me everyday how bonding the experience is. Everyone is looking for hope and normalcy in their life.

So now I am ready for the stem cell extraction. They will come in at 7am in the morning and do 5 hours of extraction. Johan and Katja started their extraction today. They both will need a second day. They both said it was fine.

Finally this evening many of us had a nice pow wow. Johan and Pip (Holland) Sana (Sweden) Rebecca (Australia) Angelica (Livermore) Katja (Norway) and me and Lynnette. A girl name Michela was headed home out of isolation. She was from Romania. She was probably in her 30's. Beautiful girl. Crazy disease.

Tomorrow a group of 7 people will receive their stem cell transplant, have a party and disappear into isolation to develop a new immune system! Should be fun!

Breakfast
Repeat Dinner with Beet Soup...I actually liked the beet soup


Comments

  1. TerryApril 2, 2019 at 1:33 PM

    I hope you were able to sleep ok with the catheter, I don’t wish anyone to be unwell but I’m so glad you have people there with you who can support each other.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownApril 2, 2019 at 2:47 PM

    Hoping "normalcy" comes your way asap.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Granny carenApril 2, 2019 at 6:12 PM

    Hey Paul the hat not doing it you look you r going to rob a bank..try to get a lot of rest if you can

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kayla HorneApril 2, 2019 at 6:26 PM

    The Horne’s think you look great with your hair buzzed!

    ReplyDelete

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