Good News PLUS The Cat Keeps Coming Back

If you have been following this blog, you will know that I have been waiting for a second bone marrow transplant (or stem cell transplant, SCT) since the end of February this year.  I had been denied of the procedure by my health care insurance company in March, appealed their decision along with my doctor in April and was denied again in May.  Insurance recommended that I go to Boston University Medical Center to see if I would qualify for one of their clinical trials for my disease, AL Amyloidosis.  In August, Boston University recommended a second SCT.   So as I petitioned the insurance company again with this piece of information.  On Thursday November 10, we attended a panel hearing that included three representatives from the Insurance Company and my transplant doctor by phone.  The outcome of the appeal was the procedure would be supported by the health care company.  There is a recently published medical report that supports a second SCT for Amyloid patients who do not get a full response in eliminating the bad cells through the first transplant.  They can have a favorable response with the second transplant.  This piece of information was presented by my doctor.  Then I was able to present my case that today I am healthy enough to go through the full does of the Melphalan that has been prescribed for this procedure.  I also mentioned that my employer is holding my position for me to return to work; even to the point, I still have my office.  Rose also said it would be nice to have this all behind us finally.  As of this month, we have been fighting this disease for three years now.  There have been big milestones passed with the heart transplant in Sep 2009 and the first SCT in February 2010.  Now I am ready to go forward with the next procedure and could be done and recovering by this Christmas.  The support from insurance was an emotional piece of news as we have been waiting to hear this for so long.  We are glad that one more hurdle has been reached and crossed.

Starting this week, I will be in Seattle for pre-transplant evaluation for three days and the following week for more tests and some workshops on food preparation, staying clear of situations where I may become sick with a cold or pneumonia, etc.  This is necessary since the chemo used wipes out my immune defense system from most common illnesses.  I will literally be in a “bubble” for several months until my immune system gains some strength as the stem cells create new cells that will fight common infections. 

One of my favorite YouTube Clips is a short segment from the Muppet Show.  Rowlf the Dog, Gaffer the Cat and Benny share their version of the children’s song “The Cat Came Back.”  I tell Rose that I am like Gaffer; all beat up, going through a lot of abuse from my disease and the chemo, but always manage to have a smile on my face.  I am getting ready to go through a pretty hard procedure with the second stem cell transplant.  There will be days that I may not look okay, but I will try to keep my smile ready.  I keep coming back.