A scare in Ambicare

T minus 7

Today is supposed to be my first treatment day. I arrive in Ambicare slightly late at 9:45 due to a phone call with Patrick, who has interesting sailing and work news. Bloods are taken, and my haemoglobin has gone down almost a gram to 7.2. Just after 11 I am given a unit of blood. The doctor arrives, and says he is concerned about the drop in haemoglobin, and wants to do a bone marrow biopsy to confirm that I am still in remission. Although I had a biopsy confirming remission only two weeks ago, he said it is possible I have relapsed.

I call Rose at home and leave a message as she is not there. Whilst waiting for the biopsy I have an ECG, now standard practice for transplant patients since someone had heart problems!

I have had four previous bone marrow biopsies. The third one was particularly painful and protracted; it took the doctor 10 minutes of pushing to get into the bone. She told me to be sedated for all future ones, as they only get tougher. For the fourth one I was sedated. Today, because I had a big breakfast the doctor said we would have to wait too long for me to have sedation, and he wants the results today, so we can begin the conditioning chemo. So, he insists that we do the biopsy under local. I acquiesce; what choice do I have. After one and half hours of waiting, thinking about the painful procedure to come, and worrying that I have relapsed, he performs the biopsy. It was the easiest, quickest and least painful since the first one back in January! It reminded me of Catch 22, and the bombing run to Bologna; "it was a milk run".

Now I will get another unit of blood, whilst waiting for the results of the bone marrow biopsy. If all is OK I will get the chemo late this afternoon; it is only a half hour infusion.

The results of the bone marrow biopsy arrive at about 4pm. It is all clear, and we can proceed with the transplant. I am now waiting for the first dose of fludarabine to be administered, watching the US open golf on my Sky mobile iPad app.


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