Transplant Date!

So, we've got it!!!! March 22nd!!!  The hospital was trying to urge (which I suppose is probably hard to do via a 3rd party... especially being that the harassment is probably why it goes through a third party) for the 15th as transplant day, but that was put forth after the original three dates... of which the 22nd was the earliest.  So I think it's fair to say this donor is pretty on it, just probably wasn't ready to go have a trifusion lumen inserted into his neck in the next week or so. In any case, very excited to sort of be approaching the end of this rather nerve racking journey.  Tom isn't very excited about going in for such a possibly long stay, but then who would?

Moving! That's something we're sort of being pushed into doing.  On the one hand nothing sounds any more dreadful than having to find a place, pack, move, unpack, do the hospital thing and all that jazz... nothing.  Then on the other hand, while it certainly isn't ridiculously closer to the hospital, it is a bit and even if it isn't... at least there's more than one way home than the awful one traffic filled route we currently do... and would have to do every day.  So, fresh start.  Sort of suiting ... new bone marrow, new home, new year... yeah.

At first we were so resistant as we like where we are.  We don't necessarily have a ton of people around us, but we've made a few very nice relationships... but I'm sure we'll keep them up.  We like not having to pack (maybe that's sort of the big one?), not to mention the costs involved in moving!!!! We also had started looking around Sacramento and had a few problems:

• The area around the hospital was either way out of our budget or anti-animals
• Sacramento seems to be mostly full of places you wouldn't want to live, with a few decent places... but unfortunately we aren't the only people who would like to not get robbed or killed, so they cost a lot.
• We don't even really know where these "nice" areas are... every time we thought a place looked "nice" online, we'd go check it out and see that yes, that particular complex was nice, but meth was being sold on the opposite side of the fence... dramatized a bit, but for purpose of a good mental picture.
• We live in a 2bdrm apartment that has 1200 Sq ft!!!! We have not yet found an equivalent and have furniture to furnish the house we thought we'd be hypothetically buying... so now we might have to downsize on our collection of stuff? 
• Lastly, it just felt like we were too lacking in knowledge, funds, contacts and time.  I mean we were talking a few weeks possibly to transplant and it felt overwhelming

Well, the transplant coordinator told us to check a certain area (where she actually moved when she came to California) and it was like a piece of placer county hidden in Sacramento.  Looks like a beautiful community!  The places weren't half price of what we're paying now, but some of them were actually a bit nicer! At the end of the day, I suppose it'd be ideal to find a place in a nice neighborhood of Sacramento that's updated, safe, maybe $400 cheaper than here so life isn't a struggle down the road when disability disappears, a place that is ready to move in now so we can do it at a decent pace and be done before he goes into the hospital... yes, but unfortunately my dream world is exactly that, not real.  So, finding a place that's most of those things and maybe even the same price, but we're saving on gas... winning! So we're trying for that. We have one tiny possibility of my dream world... but we're waiting on some verification on their part.

Oh and on the dog front, we got a letter from the doctor so she is now a "companion dog" which means she breaks all the barriers that once kept us from many properties as they can't utilize any kind of restriction! So stoked on that!!!!  God is good!

So that's where we stand.  So excited to have the transplant date in sight now! Fantastic!!!  I know Tom can do this, he always exceeds their expectations and gets out much sooner than they forecast because he can set his mind on something like nobody's business!  I know he will do great with this and he deserves to just be normal again.  

The Final Countdown

So here we are, finally with the transplant nearing!!!  There were moments where I felt we'd never get there and moments where I feared they might not find anyone, but here we are!!  Originally we were told dates that are mostly at the end of March, but yesterday we were told that Dr. Carroll is pushing to move the date up for fear of Tom's fragile remission status. So, we've begun all of the testing/screening he must complete and we could possibly be going in the first week of March!  It all depends on the donor, but it's mind boggling how quickly this ball began rolling once it did.

I keep hoping and praying that his works.  My largest fear is that something doesn't go right or that everything does, but he relapses down the road.  It's one of those things that you start thinking about and then you sort of mentally scold yourself for fear that thinking it might generate it's actual happening. In any case, hoping and praying.

I do fully look forward to the possibility of us getting our lives back and continuing on.  They made it rather clear to us though that it takes awhile and coming home from the hospital won't be an easy/fast transition back into life previously.  I'll continue to hope it is though.

Other perils:  Our first oncologist had projected Tom to be done with treatment and back to work for February, so all of our original paperwork states this and thus, state disability sent us a letter saying that means we won't be getting paid.  Of course it's an easy fix, our current doctor just needs to fill out the form stating he is still "disabled" and unable to work, but I have a feeling they may take awhile to pay us... so thankfully we've already done our taxes because we may have no income this month.  Fantastic.

In any case, that runs out in August anyway, at which point we must hope Tom is okay to at least stay home alone because I'll have to go out and win the bread. Yippee!  Well, anyhow. Super excited that we're on the right track and in the near future my husband's life will be restored!!! :) Let's go 2013!!!

Brighter Days

So we're back at home now, which is such a relief. The back and forth is tiring and I feel awful for poor Izzy being alone all week.  There is such an immediate difference in Tom when he leaves the hospital!  He even drove home yesterday! I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical, but he assured me it was okay.

It's nice to wake up and not be rushing to get somewhere or worrying about getting something done.  Every day this week I had an appointment to be somewhere, so I am current still in bed, sipping my coffee, blogging, and it's 9:30.

Niners are playing today and I think that may be the only "plan" on the table.  Tom is never able to sleep first few nights home (probably due to the constant interruptions at the hospital nightly), so I think it'll be a slow going day.

Days like this are the best. Dr. Carroll also seems to think that this will hopefully be Tom's last maintenance chemo so hopefully he'll have a somewhat larger break this time before going in for transplant. :)

Tom's birthday is in just two days! What to do?