SpeedBumps

Temporary Redirect

speedbumps — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:14:35 +0000

Hi Guys and gals, due to technical difficulties I am temporarily redirecting traffic to my CaringBridge site

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/visitAPage.do

the website name robbismith

Moose Coffee and Philly Cheesesteak Burritos

speedbumps — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:01:47 +0000

I get admitted on Thurday Aug 9th, I will get a variety of chemo’s and other drugs to counter the side effects as much as possible. I will get my brothers cells on the 16th of August and from there it is just a matter of his cells settling into my bone marrow and making itself at home and taking over the production of marrow and blood products. This journey is far from over as I am going to get really sick, before I get better.

On top of the whole “treatment” itself, the possible infections that can take advantage of my compromised immune system, and throw a wrench into the whole thing.

So I am ready to face this and get it over and done with and move on to what I hope is a long and healthy life.

to DT: thank you for todays title,,

Start your engines

speedbumps — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:43:55 +0000

Okay the big day is just a week away, I will be getting admitted on either the 8th or 9th of August, waiting to hear when they can fit me into the schedule for inserting the catheter that I need.

Brother dear will be coming out the week of the 13th and I will be getting my precious new cells on the 16th, which will officially mark my new Birthday,, yeaaaaaaaa!!!!

Stuart and I are trying to get things organized around here and get me packed up with jammies and accessories to keep me busy when I feel up to reading or watching a movie. Though from what I understand the chemo this time around it going to be a bear and I am not going to be feeling to hot.

But the finish line is just around the corner, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just have to focus on getting strong and eating while in the hospital. So that they will let me out. No eat… no going home. (also no fevers, no throwing up, etc, etc)

I am taking my laptop with me and have arranged for dial up so I will try to post as we go along..

Hugs to all of my friends and family

…NEWS

speedbumps — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:27:12 +0000

Ok we are on a roll. Dear Brother arrived yesterday afternoon, we spent a few hours talking after dinner and got him settled in his hotel room.

He got his tests taken care of today and I again got platelets, we had lunch and then met with Dr P and my Transplant co ordinator.

It looks like I will be going in sometime during the week of August 6th to start the chemo and he will be coming out the following week. The Dr said that they might actually use Bone Marrow rather than stem cells, but that won’t be determined for absolutely sure until they get the results from the tests.

I have to get another Bone Marrow Biopsy on Tuesday the 24th, to check for various things, such as Bone Marrow disease (where the marrow is damaged extensively, whether there is any sign of Lymphoma in my bone marrow and to make sure my the lymphoma has not transformed into Luekemia ( that happens sometimes when you have had as much chemo and treatment as I have) If any of the above is seen, it will change the type of chemo/Radiation that I will get.

Right now the drug combination he is planning on using will not cause me to lose my hair again though it will cause it to be brittle and break. I can deal with that.

I slept the best I have in ages last night, even falling asleep sitting up with my glasses on and the light still on. I woke up this morning feeling pretty good.

So is everyone ready to get this trip rolling, getting over this damn speedbump once and for all. Lets do it.

Special Note to B

Thank you so very much for what you are about to do for me. I am eternally grateful that you matched me, or I matched you. However I look at it I am so very lucky to have you as my brother.

Nerves are shot

speedbumps — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:40:08 +0000

My rubberband is about to snap. the continued waiting and waiting. I might not see this thing underway until the end of August at this rate due to issues I can’t discuss.

I am over the verge of needing some serious mental help soon along with a ton of meds to deal with the depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Its so tempting to call my Dr and call this whole freaking thing off and just take the year that he quoted me and just be done with this whole ordeal. The 2 times a week transfusions over and over, hell in the last 5 months I have had lets see 4 weeks a month x 2= 8 x 5 =40 and that doesn’t include the 5 or 6 times that I had to do transfusions 3 times a week. I would be dead without them as my blood counts have been totally non existant for the last 5 months. So basically the transfusions are keeping me alive at this point, because my bone marrow did not recover from the Zevalin treatment and all the other treatments that I have had over the last 3 years.

I found out that my Dr is scheduled to be on vacation from July 24th through the 6th of August, which puts another kink in this whole mess, but he deserves a vacation himself and can’t revolve his personal life around me.

I was so hoping that I would have been able to get this show on the road before the end of this month, I just want to get it over with, the fear that I live with every stinking day is making me feel hopeless for any future for me. Hell the damn cancer still exists in me, is it starting to grow again, i don’t have any defenses against it right now. who knows. All I want to know and its a question that I have never voiced in 3 years… WHY ME?

speedbumps — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 21:39:38 +0000

Its about damn time

speedbumps — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:49:21 +0000

It is official. I have gotten the approval for my SCT directly from the Insurance Company. My Transplant Co ordinator is off til Thursday so not even she knows yet. She will be getting in touch with Donor Brother to schedule his physical and from there I should get admitted approximately 3 weeks or so after that.

So we are on a roll, are we ready to rumble???

speedbumps — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:30:01 +0000

Hi everbody.

life is boring, nothing exciting to report, got my eyes checked today and dialated (that sucks big time, I see can’t see good right now)

Still waiting on news from Insurance co. I now weigh 125 pounds, I am slowly getting the weight back on 5 to 10 more to go and I will be happy.

Stu is doing good, he is still tolerating my mood swings and general being a pain in his ass.

Thats all for now folks

Happy Friday

speedbumps — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:55:40 +0000

Just got back from getting platelets, my pre count was a whole 5000 platelets,,, only 295,000 to go.. sigh

It is cold and wet out only 66 degrees outside, yet another sigh

Dr got the missing information into the Insurance Co yesterday so hopefully it won’t take long for the Ins Co to make a determination and give the final approval for me.

Thats all folks

Incompetence part 2

speedbumps — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:31:58 +0000

All I had to do was make one tiny phone call to my Insurance Co today, to inquire why it was taking so long to get approval for the SCT… ahhhh ready for this one… They never got all the paper work that they need to review my case.. Sigh so I made a call to my co ordinator so that she can follow up,, but that 2 weeks wasted. I wish I had made that call last week, I probably would have had the approval by now. Did the working world take a vacation and forget to tell someone? Needless to say I am not a happy camper right now.