Tests passed, waiting for neupogen

It appears that I have passed all the tests that might have have put my procedure on hold or disqualified me.  So now I wait for Friday, when I will get a short blast of cytoxan chemo, then go back to the hotel to inject myself with neupogen for several days.  This is supposed to knock stem cells out of my bone marrow and into my blood, where they can be harvested by a dialysis machine.

For cytoxan side effects, I'm told to expect a condition referred to by patients as wasabi nose. I actually like wasabi, so we'll see how accurate the analogy is. Vision problems and nausea may also occur. From the neupogen, I may get achy bones, fever, nausea and possible vision issues. I don't like any of those, so I may have to dip into the goody bag of drugs my nurse has provided.

In Minneapolis I mostly live alone in my fortress of solitude condo, so time alone in a Chicago hotel isn't much different for me. I'm catching up on my book club reading, working a little on the high-speed wifi, chatting with the hotel help, and meeting a few guests who are here for the same reason as me.  A remarkable 20-something young man named Daniel has similar MS issues to mine and is a month ahead of me in the procedure. He's handling it all like a champ, but his mom is with him and worries more than she sleeps. How can anyone tell a mom not to worry?  I can't be done. She is a lovely lady and I just hope she doesn't get sick from stress and sleep deprivation.

Though I don't mind being alone, I still love to see people. While in Chicago, it's been very nice to see my stepdaughter Anna twice! She's a sophomore at Loyola and well on her way to taking over the world with a tour de force of charm, scholarship and determination.  I'm amazed at the fine young lady she has become. Also, my cousin Jennifer and her husband Jamie visited for a day of dining and museum gawking with me. They are delightfully smart, kind people to chat with.  And soon, my friends Sylvia, Doug, Tony, Kelly and Marry Bess will be arriving in waves to keep an eye on me and/or cause a ruckus. I'll just have to see what, if any, of their high jinks I'll be up for when the neupogen kicks in.