It’s in the bones. Part four

 

  • [Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne in True Grit) confronts four outlaws across a valley] 

    Ned Pepper : What's your intention? Do you think one on four is a dogfall?

    Rooster Cogburn : I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned. Or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which'll it be?

    Ned Pepper : I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.

    Rooster Cogburn : Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!


    DAY ZERO


    Six packs of what looks like smoked salmon is carefully lifted from a bin shaped freezer; these are the bone marrow stem cells. Liquid nitrogen escapes and I wait for jimmy saville to arrive from the pit of hell; he fails to make an appearance. There’s an intensity in the room with two nurses who will not be leaving my side during the process. I think this might be serious stuff. 

    I’ve had drugs pumped into me for 24 hours continuous and I’ve put on 3k over three days because of those fluids so I’ve not only been poisoned I’ve been fattened for the kill. Every time a drug completes its cycle it’s replaced with another. This is very organised.

    The first sleeve of smoked salmon has been placed in a “barbecue” to defrost and what is now a lobster bisque is being fed into me. Bag 1 then 2,3,4,5,6; it’s all in. Six immunity packs and at this stage I’m a little light headed and a little high coloured. It’s going to be a few days before I feel the full effects. In the meantime my new model army will multiply and organise and try to discern friend from foe. I hope it makes the right decisions.

    I stink of sweetcorn apparently. Since covid the security around stem cells has become more rigid. This is why they have to be frozen and because they’re frozen a largely harmless preservative is added and this is what produces the very strong sweetcorn odour which the nurse has admitted makes him feel very sick. 

    I’m naked in the shower and I’ve just caught sight of myself; I’m fat. Fluid retention from three drip days and stem cell transplant has turned me into a stinky fat boy. I need to exercise. Halfway through my 2k corridor walk nurse Bob calls me in for another infusion. He then complains that my whole room smells of sweetcorn. I guess only your best friends tell you so at least I’ve made a best friend.

    I’m on the bags again. This time it’s cyclosporine which is an anti rejection drug that will drop into me for four hours in the evening and four hours in the morning. I’ve also got an antibiotic which just takes an hour but is four times a day and runs simultaneously with the cyclosporine. After that it’s a 2km corridor walk and off to the land of nod before day zero plus one begins . 

    How do I feel about today? The side effects don’t kick in yet so it’s a strange kind of elation but I’m sure that’s temporary. At this point I feel better than I have ever done after chemo so I’m hoping that doesn’t change too much. I’ll apologise in advance for any upcoming miserable gittery.

Comments

  1. Sophie S13 April 2022 at 00:14

    Really interesting to hear the detail of this process brilliantly described through smoked salmon, barbecue and sweetcorn!

    Glad to hear you've had the treatment and are feeling well so far.

    ReplyDelete

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