Stem Cell Donation – Day 6

8-27-11

This is the second day of Neupogen injections, so I hope I am half finished with them.  My brother’s insurance company hopes so, too.  The prescription I received yesterday gave me enough Neupogen for four days.  The cost was $3,499.56, all of which was paid for by the insurance company.  I find out on Monday whether I need additional injections.

Today I am glad that I came back to Austin for the weekend.  Since I didn’t have to go for any long car rides, everything was much more comfortable here that it would have been in Houton.  As a bonus, my sister-in-law did my laundry for me.

The doctor I saw at the MD Anderson Center yesterday was Martin Korbling, who struck me as a very intelligent, no-nonsense physician with a slight German or Austrian accent.  Dr. Korbling informed me that I should not run, swim, lift weights or do any kind of strenuous workout while taking the Neupogen.  I haven’t done any of those things, and I don’t want to.  I am not feeling any great pain, but neither do I feel like moving much beyond getting up from the couch and walking to the kitchen.

I took one Tylenol capsule before going to bed last night, and I did a Reiki self-treatment after I got into bed.  I slept pretty well after that.

Today I felt sluggish with generalized muscle aches sort of like one experiences with the flu.  I did not feel the need for any Tylenol during the day, but I think I will take another capsule and do some more Reiki at bedtime.

So far, taking the Neupogen is not too bad.  I wouldn’t do it for fun (I couldn’t afford to do it for fun), but I am happy to go through this minor discomfort to condition my blood so that it might save a life.