February 24 Transplant Day +81

One would think that at this point, I would be a lot further along in my recovery. I expected as much. I am gaining slowly and getting back to my strength prior to my stem cell transplant back on December 5. This week, I just about passed out again from being light headed while riding in an elevator. The doctors are not sure what exactly occurs when I get this way. There are several possible explanations. They include a transplanted heart, lack of hydration, an infection and a side effect from the many medications I am on. It is probably a combination of all of these. We are realizing that I might control this some by not standing up and hurrying along. A sudden change in position usually triggers some light headedness. It helps to take a few moments after I stand up to get stable.

We learned this week that the deposits of protein chains that are a product of the Amyloid disease have found their way to the transplanted heart. These protein chains are what cause the damage to nerve and muscle tissue and destroyed my heart back in 2009. My cardiologist is not concerned at this point as all the heart functions that are measured show the heart to be strong and healthy at this point. Given I received my new heart in September 2009, and since this disease has been slowly kicking out these damaging proteins; it should not be a surprise some have found their way to the heart. For more than three years I have been on a variety of chemotherapies to attempt to control the increase of the disease, including now two stem cell transplants. Once the production of these proteins is shut down the body will have a chance to recover and repair itself. This coming week I am scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy. This will show how effective the December 3 high does of chemotherapy was in destroying the Amyloid. If the Amyloid is still present, then I will be placed back on some additional form of chemotherapy. I would prefer to pass on this to continue my recovery from the last procedure. We should know by this time next week.

My high school wrestling partner came by for a visit this week. He works in the medical profession and is aware of the visiting precaution I need to have right now, that is to be healthy. We had a great visit and the time seemed to fly by.

During the time I have been working through my medical issues I have been rummaging through old photos and papers of my dad’s from the time he was at the University of Washington and time in the Pacific during WW II. While in college my father was a climbing guide on Mt. Rainier. In the three years he was a guide, he had 73 successful summits. In addition to Rainier, he would climb many of the other mountains in Washington State. Today at Camp Muir on Rainier, there is a structure that my father would stay the night in with his climbing clients. I have seen the wooden beam over the threshold of the door that still shows where he carved his name over 70 years ago. A lot of history has been discovered in the old boxes of photos and papers I have looked through.