This week is a special week for me: next month it will be the second anniversary of my hematopoietic stem cells transplant. To “celebrate” this special event, I will have to go through several analysis and tests to check if everything is going in the right direction. On tuesday, I had to do a blood analysis and a myelogram. I was confident that everything would go smoothly, as I am kind of used to these procedures…

Not this time! Remember what happened in early 2016? At this time, I was a beginner in the domain of blood analysis and blood transfusion. One day, during one of those “experiments”, I fainted without warning and falled from the chair: blood everywhere on the floor, since at that time I was short in platelets… From this day on, the nurses put a big red dot on my file, and called me “the fainting guy”: I became “popular” in one day in the day hospital!

Today, a lot of tubes were needed because there were several “sophisticated analysis” to be done, mainly to check the state of my immune system . The nurse, from the beginning, told me that it was as if it was a “drain of blood”! Well, she was just right! Almost at the end, just two tubes left, I started to not feeling good, and told them. But I fainted immediatly and had no memory of what had happened. When coming back to life, it took me a few seconds to remember where I was ;-)! When I saw the nurses all around me, I thought “not again”! They gave me some orange juice and some cakes, and after a few minutes I was able to go to the waiting room: my day was not over yet! I had a myelogram waiting for me;-)! I had some rest, then the doctors came for the myelogram. Very professional as usual! It took just a few minutes, no pain! They are really skilled! They showed me the plates they made, telling me: see the small dots, those are the bone marrow parts! The marrow is “rich”: ah ah, good for me! Of course, we have now to wait for the full characterization! It will take a few weeks. Just in time with the visit to my kind graft doctor, at the end of june. Before, I will have some respiratory test, but no problem with that!

I will had soon some other informations, but before leaving you, I would like to explain from where the photos below are coming: we visited the Klimt exhibit at “Atelier des lumières” in Paris : it is worst the visit! (http://www.atelier-lumieres.com/).

I will not finish without saying that if I am writing these words, it is because of the fantastic work done by the doctors, the nurses and all the people at the Saint Antoine hospital. Of course, I would like to thank my nice graft doctor, my donor, my family and my friends: they supported me and are still supporting me during the bad days and the good days: I love you all !

Enjoy life :-)!

 

 

Last monday morning, I had another photopheresis at Saint Antoine Hospital.

On arriving, as the temperature was “hot” in Paris, the nurse did not think that I would need my special “heating blanket” to soften my veins, and thus make the machine for the photopheresis works OK…

Also, in order to help make the veins visible, the nurse gave me a soft ball to squeeze in my hand. She gave me a pear-shaped ball. Of course, I started to protest as my regular ball is heart-shaped ;-)! The nurse told me that next time I will have the one I requested :-)!

After two “errors” stopping the machine,  I got my regular heating blanket and after then everything went well!

During the treatment the nurse told me that I had to meet with the “day hospital” doctor before leaving. It was the first time in almost 20 photopheresis. After talking with the doctor, who wanted just to know if I was fine, I told her that physically I was OK but that “the spirit” was not as good. She told me that it was kind of classical: after fighting against a disease like MDS, all the energy is gone and little is left for “le moral”. In the department they have a psychologist who can help people like me. So, I will soon take an apointment with her…

I left the hospital under a bright sun! Of course I was wearing my sun glasses, and long sleeves, as recommanded by my favorite nurse ;-)!

Next round of photopheresis will be in one month, early june.

I am now 23 months after the stem cells transplant. At the end of may and in june, I will have several physical exams to test if everything is working well…

As I always do, I cannot stop here without thanking again my kind graft doctor, my donor, the doctors, the nurses and, of course my family and friends, They know that I love them all!

Take care and enjoy life!