Official Confirmation

KU Med liked the numbers so we start the bone marrow transplant (BMT) this Thursday. Here is a rough schedule.

August 1. Chemotherapy an KC. This was added in addition to the (BMT) protocol because my myeloma has been resistant. This is bad stuff and I will not proceed to the next step until my complete blood count (CBC, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) have recovered from the shock. I will stay in KC until I complete the next step.

August 10-12 (13?). Apheresis in KC. This is the harvesting of my stem cells and their subsequent freezing for storage. The start date is approximate based on my CBC. The length of time is also around 3-5 days. It will conclude when they have enough stem cells for at least 2 BMTs. This is just for insurance in case another BMT is needed down  the  road. After this I return to Salina.

August 19-22. BMT in KC.

     August 19-21. Chemotherapy for the purpose of killing the myeloma in my bone marrow. On a scale of 1-10, this is level 10 chemotherapy. This stuff will kill other things in my body besides the myeloma.

     August 22. Stem cell infusion for the purpose of replenishing what I lost in my bone marrow from the previous step.

August 22-September 19?. Stay in KC until my CBC (and the rest of me) returns to normal. This can take up to 4 weeks.

The BMT is the golden ticket. KU Med is very optimistic that I will experience complete remission. Caveat. As far as the present advances in medical technology, there is no cure for myeloma. The BMT just sets the clock of the prognosis back by 15-30 years. A few other thoughts. In 15-30 years it is very likely that a cure would be found. In 30 years I would be 86 which is a ripe old age. And last, God has the last word.

Big prayer request. There is a chance that I could be a part of a clinical trial. Please pray that I am accepted because the company sponsoring the trial would pay for a large part of the BMT. KU Med is working hard to get my acceptance into the clinical trial. The trial changes the protocol of the BMT slightly and has shown thus far that it is at least as effective as the present protocol. The clinical trial is trying to determine if there is any improvement over the present protocol.

Thanks for praying.