Well, I hope it's finally a GO...I think.

Hello everyone. I have been holding off on starting some sort of communication journal for this crazy stem-cell transplant journey because there were some moments when I really wasn't sure it was going to actually happen - and I didn't want to jinx it. Anyway, I will probably, over the next few days, recount my last few months of getting to this point.

I began talking to Casey about having some sort of 'blog' so that people could just check in and see how things are going. I didn't want people to be wondering what's going on or call her with a million questions. [[Oops, hang on, what am I saying, Casey loves to hear from people, talk on the phone, etc, so please don't hesitate to call her.]] I really wanted a venue that both Casey and I could write updates just to keep people informed. Then, on one of my many long walks I've taken lately, I realized that I am going to use the 'blog' thing for myself too. I hope it helps others know what's going on (by the way, thanks for caring about Casey, the boys and I...much appreciated!) with us and the transplant, but I am going to be going stir-crazy. I will be very isolated from people for a very long time and I am going to need to feel that I am having some sort of conversation with people, you know, some connection. I have a feeling I'm going to write really long 'blog' notes at times, so I won't feel bad if you don't read them, skim them or only read every 3rd or 4th day. The key is, I want to encourage people to write comments back to me, say hi, ask questions, etc. This will help me know that people are still out there. Writing something (if I can) in the 'blog' everyday, seeing comments people write and answering questions will give me something to do. So, I want to apologize in advance if I write too long of entries some days, but please just amuse me, and remember that I'm not really doing a whole lot else. Of course my mom did buy me a kit for doing jewelery beading, so I will always have that to fall back on.

Well, that leads me to today. I had an appt at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance this week on Tues (my weekly 'clinic' visit) and I was told that the study is back on (it had been on hold for a just over a week), so they would get me in after I cleared my rhinovirus (aka. the common cold). I first tested positive for this on Oct 13th, so this has taken quite a while. Although you don't have symptoms anymore, the common cold can be cultured from your sinuses for up to 8 to 10 weeks, or longer. It's been a long 6+ weeks! They did blood work, chest xray, checked the site of the IV line in my chest, vital signs, AND another sinus culture. This is now my SIXTH one. They take saline in a syringe, then one nostril at a time, have you tilt your head back and shoot it up your nose, then you blow really hard into a cup. It's really not that bad, it's just that I was getting pretty tired of the same 'ol routine --- 1) appt 2) sinus culture 3) phone call saying it was positive and "we'll be in touch next week."

Didn't hear anything Wed. But, this morning, Anne (my assigned transplant nurse - she's super nice) called just as Jack and I were getting ready to walk to school and she said, "I have good news, you're negative! You need to come in for a blood draw today, then a clinic appt Mon, and then we'll admit you for conditioning (their kinder, gentler name for chemo) on Tues morning. Just don't get sick. Call me if you need anything." All I could think about was how Owen has been wiping his nose all over his sleeve all morning before Casey took him to school. Then, I took Jack to school and told Casey the news, she had been volunteering early in Jack's classroom. On my way home my mom (aka. The Voice of Reason) called and, without going into the sorted details, convinced me it would be in my best interest to spend the next few days at her house, by myself. She offered to leave and I could have the entire house to myself. So, here I am, writing my first 'blog' entry.

By the way, I am going to try and end each 'blog' entry with a few NEWS highlights from the day, so that when I look back after my chemo-head clears, I'll have some landmarks to maybe help me remember things better. So, these are another thing that you can just ignore if you want, but they'll help me possibly make sense of things later.

Huskies 1st loss to Texas Tech, Skyped kids before bed, Oregon going to Rose Bowl after winning Civil War, Awaiting Amanda Knox verdict (come on, admit it, you're waiting too), watching the fallout on Obama sending "30,000 more troops to Afghanistan"
(did I spell that right?), and, finally, will someone please tell me what Tiger was thinking?