I promised more details concerning our early release from MDACC. If you missed yesterday's post about it, you might want to read that first.

Monday before last, on her weekly visit with me at the infusion center, Dr. Hosing just sort of casually mentioned that since I had just cut my dose of the immunosuppressant Tacro to zero we would need to wait two weeks. Neither of us knew what she meant, so we asked "wait two weeks for what?" "Until we can release you," was her reply. We were stunned since there had been no previous mention of early release. She told us this on day 62 of the (supposed) 100-day stay we'd been told to expect, so two weeks would have meant release on day 76. That's much earlier than we'd dared hope. Most early releases we've heard people talk about are usually at the 90th or maybe 85th day, so we felt really fortunate about that. So it was even more amazing when she said this Monday that we could go on that day, which was day 69, a full month early! The reason for this is that I've shown no signs of graft versus host disease after reducing and then eliminating the immunosuppressant. Also, my other blood levels that they monitor have stayed at safe levels. All of these things will be measured weekly by my hometown oncologist once we return.

We got even more good news when Hosing also told us that day that I could have my central venous catheter removed. That's the port on my left chest, just below my collarbone, where they took blood samples and gave me my infusions without having to stick me with a needle each time. I'd gotten fairly used to it, but it certainly had its annoyances. On home infusion days when we didn't go to the hospital, not only did my wife have to attach the infusions to one of the ports (sometimes to both of the two ports at once), but she had to flush each of them with, first, a saline syringe flush and then a heparin (blood thinner) syringe flush. The other major annoyance was that there was a 4" X 4" bandage covering the entrance of the catheter into my chest, and we'd been warned that we were to avoid getting it wet at all costs for fear of infection. If we ever got it wet we were to go immediately to MDACC to get it changed. So every time I bathed, my wife had to construct a several-layer-thick covering of plastic wrap to completely cover the bandage (and the two ports hanging down out of the bandage) to keep it dry. Then she had to "frame" the plastic with medical tape so that I could tape it to myself and seal it all off. I would then have to wash my face and head over the bathroom sink, making sure not to stand up until I had dried off, since the water might run down and find it's way through our tape and plastic barrier. Then I'd get in the shower and wash all but my upper left chest and shoulder area, all the while being very paranoically aware of that area. Like I said, a major annoyance for us both. So we very happily left the infusion clinic and went down to the second floor to get it removed. Unlike the insertion procedure on Jan. 5, the removal only took about 5 minutes and required no sedation. I couldn't get the new bandage wet for 24 hours, so it was Tuesday before I could remove it and take my first real, worry-free shower in almost three months. It was almost as wonderful as the first shower I took after I returned from my three-month, 1976, low-low-budget, post-college trip to Europe smelling like a hobo. (Or what I suppose a hobo smells like. To be clear, I have never actually sniffed a hobo.) So, to summarize, getting rid of the catheter was a very good thing.

One of our friends has inquired about what our post-release life will be like, as far as survivorship care and precautions go. I was going to address that today, but this post has already gone on for far too long, so I'll try to get to that this weekend.