2/2/2011 Did I mention that it's COLD!

Oh, did I say that it's cold up here, I know to you cold weather people you'll just think I'm being a baby, and maybe I am, but after most of my life in the desert of southwest Utah and Nevada, this is cold.

I had my second day of collection today, yesterday they collected about 1.3 million stem cells which sounds like a lot, but the number we are shooting for is at least 12 million and we were hoping for over 15 million that will provide some backup for me in the future, as we are told the typical transplant takes about 5 million cells. They like to take enough for two transplants, but we are hopefully going to get enough for 3.

Our day is pretty boring but it seems long, we have to be at the hospital about 8:00 am, they take labs, vitals and then I wait for the OK to get the Neupogen shots. After the Neupogen we talk to the Physician's Assistant about life and then head around the corner for the Apheresis room where I lay on a bed while they take my blood, circulate it through a machine and then give it back to me sans stem cells, this has been taking between 3-1/2 and 4 hours which gets us out of the hospital around 1:30 or 2:00, then after some lunch a small nap is in order then we watch a little TV and head back to the hospital at 6:00 pm for the Mozobil shot then usually by about 6:30 or 7:00 we're headed back to the condo for dinner. Then after a little TV or a Redbox Movie it's time for bed and we start all over again.

Oh, did I mention how cold it is up here. We'd like to break up the days with some walking around the Gateway or downtown, but it's been too cold and miserable for us desert dwellers to handle. We talked to Josh today and he said this cold goes clear down to Phoenix, that he didn't think it made it much past 40 down there today.

Until later, hope everyone is good and we are very appreciative of all the thoughts and prayers in our behalf.