"Boosted" Back To School

I have struggled to write about this next phase in my journey, mainly because I just do not remember it.  In my last blog post I shared about receiving a “Boost”. The time period I am referring to is the year and a half after the boost. I had a boost of donor cells in mid April 2006. I received the boost because a chemotherapy medication was trapped within the cells of my body killing off any new cells being made. When the drug cleared out of my body, I was able to receive another dose of my donor’s bone marrow. This extra dose is what doctors refer to as a boost.  It was like having a third bone marrow transplant, only I did not need the chemotherapy and radiation before.

After my boost, my cells began to regenerate, and my body was making its own marrow cells. Your bone marrow makes blood and the cells within your blood so I was also having less blood and platelet transfusions. This is the time period when my weight got down to 82 pounds. The doctor gave me medication to help me eat, but it did not help much. I remember going to McDonalds one day and getting a single cheeseburger. I literally took three bites and I was done, full, and couldn’t eat another bite. Note, too, that my bites are very small. Two or three of my bites may equal 1 of someone else’s. When I couldn’t eat, taking large bites was overwhelming. It was hard to chew, I didn’t want to eat, and it would make me sick. Small bites were the answer, and now I still do the same. I can eat a Lindt truffle in about eight bites. I also didn’t drink with my meals because once I did, it was over. The liquid would fill my stomach, and I would not be able to eat any more. I would get very nauseated and have to stop eating if I drank too much. As a child growing up, my MaMa Vann would always say not to drink until you finish eating. She never drank with her meal. That is what I would do and I still do it to this day, but during that time period I really had to skip the drinking while eating. I guess her “theory” prepared me for the future.

I know I would get infections and need to stay in the hospital for a short time, and I would have symptoms of Graft verses Host Disease (GVHD) during this period. GVH is when your body fights off your donor cells because it is foreign. A small amount is good, but to much is not. If I had a skin rash, I would have a skin biopsy. If I had stomach issues, I would need a colonoscopy or endoscopy. The doctors would do biopsies to confirm GVH in both instances. I specifically remember preparing the day before a colonoscopy, because I can picture the apartment where we stayed. While thinking back for this blog, a lot of how I remember certain things is because of the layout of the apartment. During my first bone marrow transplant we stayed in a second-floor apartment, after the second transplant we stayed in a first-floor apartment. The two apartments were laid out completely different, so it helps me distinguish between 2003 and 2005.

Another side effect of chemo is neuropathy. Neuropathy may not be one you hear of often, but it is very uncomfortable. Diabetics also get neuropathy, so you may have this or know someone who does. Neuropathy causes a tingling and numbness in your extremities. I had it terribly in my feet. I can picture myself sitting at the small computer nook in that first-floor apartment googling treatments for neuropathy. For me, my feet tingled in a very painful way all the time. They never were numb, but the feeling was intense and never stopped. Have you ever had freezing cold feet and stepped into a warm shower getting that tingly feeling? Have you ever sat on your legs for a long period of time, stood up, and they were “asleep” feeling like pens and needles sticking in you? Well, those two feelings are how my feet felt all the time. Thankfully, for those of you who have this, know it does get better.  Eventually it did go away and I only have a tiny bit of the feeling randomly. It is not even enough to mention.

As the days went along and months passed, I was finally much better. My immune system had strengthened and infection was not as critical. My mask was in the trash, and I could be amongst other people. My doctor was pleased, and in the fall of 2007, I enrolled back into Sampson Community College. Now, if you have read my previous stories and are keeping count, this is my third attempt at college. I was determined to get a college degree and I was praying the third time was the charm.