Stem Cell Transplant Day 37 — The Dude Abides

Chris Ballard
Jul 30, 2017 · 3 min read

What day is it again? I’m going to have to start paying attention because I’m going back to work tomorrow! (I’ll be working from home for a few weeks)

Most people know that I’m “a bit” competitive, so I’ll take some time to brag. :)

  • My “release” from daily hospital visits came on Day 13. I had heard of a few people making it out on Day 14, so I was happy to beat that.
  • I had heard of one guy going back to work on Day 45. I am making it back on Day 38. I set a goal to be back in August, and will return on the last day of July.
  • I made it through the entire stem cell transplant without needing a blood transfusion. That is uncommon.
  • I collected all my required stem cells in one day.
  • I did the entire thing as an outpatient.

I still feel like I got my ass kicked daily for about 25 days or so, but it could have been a lot worse. I’ve been super lucky with this whole thing.

Everything’s going really well. My hemoglobin was 12.3 on Friday, and I no longer feel like I’m going to pass out every time I get up. I’d say that I’m about 90% right now. I’ll take it.

I have an appointment on August 11 where I hope to get some clarity on the next steps with treatment and then I have another Zometa (bone strengthener) infusion on August 18. I’ve gotten sick after 2 of my previous 3 Zometa infusions.. There’s a myth about the “Zometa flu,” which may or may not be a real thing. There will be a bone marrow biopsy some time in August, likely towards the end, which will look for any cancer cells down to 1 part in one million.

Other than that, I’m officially allowed in public places now as of Day 35 although I still need to avoid crowds. I’m like a newborn baby in that I don’t have any vaccinations thanks to my new immune system. I’ll likely be getting all of those over the course of the next year in addition to all the other poison I’ll be getting.

I’m eager to start the consolidation chemo as I want to keep kicking this thing in the balls. I’m still in remission, there was no detectable cancer in my blood as of my last test on July 21.

I’ve been eating good stuff, and my appetite is back in full force. Bagels, falafels, Thai food, burritos, pizza, pasta. I even had a beer last night. (ok, it was 3 beers) Weight is back up to 171. I’m going to start working out again soon.

About the hair situation: My head has looked like I just got a haircut for like 3 weeks now. That’s awesome as I usually wear it really short (zero guard all over). Unfortunately, the chemo was no match for my back hair/ear hair (old guy hairs), and those live on. Thankfully, my eyebrows didn’t fall out. Most of my beard hair isn’t growing back. Rachel says it makes me look younger. It still grows back in some parts and looks really weird. That means I’m going to have to shave every day — something that I’ve never done in my life.

Chris Fighting Cancer

These are the chronicles of my experience battling Multiple Myeloma

Chris Ballard

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Chris Fighting Cancer

These are the chronicles of my experience battling Multiple Myeloma

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