More on Brad Coustan's Stem Cell Transplant

Myeloma is a funny thing. It manifests in different ways. Many people have bone issues. Some people have kidney issues. Some have both. I have kidney issues and no bone issues. I'm working hard to do weight bearing exercise to keep my bones strong. Both the myeloma and high dose of steroids can give the bones a real beating. Anyhow, early on in my journey we went to the City of Hope here in LA to discuss a stem cell transplant. Because of my kidneys, I wasn't qualified for a transplant. My kidneys would not have been able to handle the massive dose of chemo. Soon thereafter, I saw Berenson for the first time. His philosophy is no transplant.  I did harvest my stem cells just over a year ago at Cedars Sinai. That sucked, a real miserable experience.  And because of my unique mixture of chemo drugs, I had a real tough time producing enough stem cells that would be used in the event we did opt for a stem cell transplant in the future. The stem cells are frozen away at Cedars. Not sure if Ted Williams frozen head is nearby.

I wrote the other day about Brad and his upcoming transplant. Let's all send him positive thoughts and wishes. Although I have no doubt that he is going to continue to kick myeloma's ass and he's going to come out of the transplant in remission and healthier than ever.  Having said this, I am curious on the actual process. What happens each day of the transplant?  Well, Brad's latest post walks us through this. Pretty darn interesting. And pretty darn impressive his attitude. Give it a read and if so inclined feel free to send Brad attaboys. He's gonna have some free time on his hands over the next month. And whatever you do, don't give away anything about Breaking Bad, which is on his watch list over the next few weeks.  Read on...

http://bradstrong.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/124-pre-transplant-stuff/