Update 2- (post chemo still pre-transplant)

So, since my last update, you simply knew that I was waiting for my counts to come up enough to collect some healthy stem cells.  Well...low and behold, I got that faithful call Friday morning!  Dad and I made the trek up to Columbus and it wad made known to us that we would need 5 million cells collected total for transplant.  They called me just as I made it home to let me know I collected 3.5 million that day.  I was frustrated that we didn't get them all in one day, but at the same time it all happened sooner that I had expected.  So Saturday morning, my awesome roomie Kaitlyn and I headed up (at the butt-crack of dawn) to collect the rest of the cells. 

Just FYI-Stem Cell collection is pretty easy.  It's all done through an apheresis catheter (kind of like a port) in my chest.  A machine takes the blood out of my body through one of the catheters, collects the stem cells into a hanging bag and puts the blood (now void of the stem cells) back into my body.  The process takes about 5 hours and results can vary from day to day. 

Soooo, the second day they got more than enough to get my total 5 million stem cells, thank God!

So at this point, I'm super thankful things are going (finally) in the right direction as far as my time-line is concerned. 

Sunday morning, about 4:30 a.m., I woke up and I'm having excruciating pain in my neck that I think is being caused from the apheresis catheter that was placed there on the Monday that I received chemo almost 2 weeks ago.  I had noticed at least 5 days ago, that the vein in my neck was really sore and hurt badly basic any time I moved it and it was only getting worse.  I even checked in with a couple of nurses who said it was normal to have pain in your jugular after having the catheter placed because it irritated the vein. 

So later on, on Sunday... the pain get unbearable, I start to feel nauseous and Amy, Marshall and Kaitlyn all took real good care of me and made sure that my doctor were called and informed about the situation so we knew what we had to do.  We end up at the local ER who does a CT scan where they inject die to specifically look at arties and veins.  When we got the results back, it was confirmed that a blood clot had formed, it started in my external and ended in my internal jugular.  Unfortunately, all I can think about is a delayed time line.  Questions like, will they have to put in a new catheter?, do they have to wait a long time to take out the existing catheter?, is it risky to take out the catheter?, how long is this really going to set me back?, start running through my mind.  Thankfully, when transport had to come to drive me from Dayton to Columbus, I met two of the nicest and encouraging people I could have encountered at this state along my path.  We just talked and rode the hour long drive about God and healing, life and trials, how Pittsburgh Steelers suck... God definitely, even then, amidst my seeming delay and inconvenience, encouraged me and helped me gain some perspective. 

So, I'll try and sum up these last few days as quickly as possible.  In short, I'm bald, I don't have an apheresis catheter anymore, I am still admitted to OSU and have been since Sunday, but I'm doing okay.  I will be allowed to be discharged when I have been fever free for 48 hours and all of my blood cultures come back negative.  I still have quite a bit of swelling and pain in my neck and it's up to a drug called Heparin and my body to break down this clot... obviously the Lords help too.  Also, I'm on day 2 of being fever free-Praise the Lord!!  At this point, I can't say how soon they'll be ready to admit me for transplant, they just want me completely healthy before I'm admitted to receive chemo again for the transplant. 

So thankful for everybody's love and support they have shown this last week!  From the prayers, to phone calls, to text messages, my heart is overflowing with gratitude.  Special shout out to Amy who is typing this right now (AWKWARD) and too my Mom, Dad, Danielle and Kaitlyn--who have gone the extra mile.  Yup...I think that about sums this up this week.  Please continue to pray no more neck pain, swelling, that the blood clot goes away, that nothing is delayed more than it needs to be. 

Your all awesome, have a great day, God Bless.

And since I (Amy) is the one typing this, I really wish I could have inserted all of the hilariously awesomeness of dosing loopy Leslie.  Because it would have made this Blog, perfect.  Also, don't be offended if your texts or phone calls aren't responded too, she falls asleep trying really hard!  I promise!  Bahahahaha, she's gunna kill me, this is fantastic.  Also, don't judge her by all the track marks on her arms, I mean, it's been a tuff time.... hahaha!!!  :D