Update and Status

Phew!   This has been a long journey but 2/3rds has been covered with the help and blessings of Family and Friends. Yesterday new life was given to me by the transfusion of Stem cells from our daughter Srishti. So Yay, Happy Independence Day to India and Happy Raakhee to all loving brothers and sisters. Phew! This has been a long journey but 2/3rds has been covered with the help and blessings of Family and Friends. Yesterday new life was given to me by the transfusion of Stem cells from our daughter Srishti. So Yay, Happy Independence Day to India and Happy Rakhee to all loving brothers and sisters. The hospital staff were congratulating me by saying Happy Birthday, as it indeed is a new birth for all my blood cells. The last 4 weeks had been hectic in preparation for Day ‘0’, first by killing all my blood cells via Chemotherapy and finally by a whole body radiation before the transplant. The transplant in itself was pretty painless for me but not so for Srishti since

                                                            😜My Second Home😀 Apologies for not having updated this blog with my health updates for almost six weeks but am doing so now as the Intensification Chemo Phase 3 began as of yesterday. I am sure you all are enjoying the summers with your families – vacation, staycation and all. In this interim break between Phase 2 and 3, I have been lucky to meet most of my friends in the DC tristate area. But since my immune system continues to be compromised and I am neutropenic, one has to avoid shaking hands, hugs-embraces with dear friends; so for now it is Namastes, Fist bumps or Flying kisses only. 😘 Had another experience in my life for the first time – attending a 97 th birthday. Pishi Ma (Tarun’s mom who dotes over her DIL Rumy) achieved that milestone birthday and we are so fortunate to have her blessings with us. Just 3 more years to a century and we all pray for her to be blessed with good health. Of course

Hello everybody, While being back home has been great but the daily trip to Baltimore and being on the road in traffic for 2 hours everyday is not that great. But given the fact that I get a chance to be spoiled by Sonali at home I don’t mind the drive at all. On the medical side, my Phase 2 has begun and it is more intense – 4 days a week. I have had days of nausea when I could not even drink water, leave alone the food. Those days would also be real Low-Energy days, full of lethargy and all I did was stay in bed. Based on the Marrow test at the conclusion of Phase 1, the Docs are excited to be on the right track but given my kind of ailment (ALL) a Bone Marrow transplant would be necessary at the end of my Chemotherapy. My Oncologist is of the opinion that I should get a Phase 3 of Chemo to completely eradicate any remnant of cancer cells in my CSF (cerebro-spinal fluid). Now that has gotten to be a painful procedure wherein they numb the area on the back between the L

Recovered nicely from the mini bump and the Doctors’ team decided to discharge me on late Thursday afternoon May 2 nd . The discharge process itself was quite lengthy and detailed - the medicines, medical supplies, training Sonali, giving me all instructions, emergency protocols & procedures etc.   Now back home under the watchful, caring eye of Sonali who has taken leave from work for these six weeks to Look-n-Cook for me. So of course, what else but loads of home cooked food after the month long bland hospital diet (Oops, and that reminds me I have to post about it).   So now I have to be taking almost 11 medicines spread over the day and 3 IntraVenous shots of an antibiotic. Thankfully during a mini operation they have inserted on my right shouder near the neck a Hickman catheter with 2 lumens for administration of Chemo, and other meds. So no more jabbing with an injection – the antibiotic comes in a ball shaped pressurized container and can be directly connecte

Today, May 1 st was discharge day from the Hospital but I developed fever yesterday and after running some CT scans of lungs and sinuses (which came out clear), the Doctors Team decided to keep me here for the next 2-3 days. They suspect   that some bacteria may have gotten into the blood from my Gut. So more antibiotics and some injections to boost my WBC production. Gone are my 2-4 mile walks in the last 2 days since the feverish feeling is accompanied by a general malaise and lethargy and I have spent both days just lying down. 😞 Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up nice and fresh.😀 I am totally impressed with the Techs, Nurses, Doctors team and the entire operations at Johns Hopkins. Well…..not so much their catering department though, who have continued to be extremely inconsistent. But all that would be a blog post in itself in future. Have been keeping up with current events mainly through Facebook links. There is a TV in the room but it is almost hanging from the