Stem Cell Update

From Tim's sister Sharon:

We're back at the hospital for day 2 of harvesting. For a 5' 3-1/2" person weighing a mere 125 lbs, Julie was a real trooper on day 1. While watching the inauguration (why is it that no one was really covering the parade--you know the marching bands part of the parade--anyway?), they sucked out lots of stem cells (over 4 million), and since she's in the neighborhood and on the Neupogen already and they like to have extra just in case (and for the research that they might decide to do that Julie signed the consent form for), she's getting hooked up again today for as much as her platelets will allow.

Tim said he'd settle for average stem cells, but Julie thought at least above average was needed. I added strong and good looking, probably cuz we're much closer to Lake Wobegon country here....

Julie is a model patient, from a patients' rights perspective--she makes it a point to learn everyone's name and calls them by it (very handy if your machine starts beeping ominously), and getting copies of everything she signs. (One of the radiology staff had to go in search of a copy machine.)

I got lots of photos of the harvesting machine, and Julie hooked up to the harvesting machine, and Julie watching the inauguration with tubes sticking out of the right side of her neck (her right side, not yours, looking at her). They won't all get posted, but the machine is pretty amazing, from a medical technology perspective--out goes the blood, through the tube and up and down and around and for a spin in the centrifuge (where the stem cells, being heavier than the rest of the blood parts, fall out). Then it keeps going through tubes and gets some saline added and some calcium and then it goes back into Julie. (Did I mention she has 2 tubes sticking out of her neck.)

The wireless access seems pretty good here, so Tim won't have to complain to the hospital IT staff. If we get bored--no inauguration to watch today--we'll send another message (not up to blogging or tweeting yet--to much to say for a tweet anyway.)

the stem cell donor and donor buddy are now signing off...
ttfn
Julie and sharon