Sam Fights MS

  The road to recovery will be long and slow but it's the tail end of the process here in Mexico  The chemo has been rough and left me with barely any energy for several days. daily injections commenced 2 days after my clean stem cells went back in. They  exacerbate my MS symptoms (balance in particular) but the injections are to stimulate the cell count which is important to get to a safe stage to be able to travel home.  My cell count is currently too low to fight any type of infection or germs. Isolation has been important, so we really aren't allowed to leave our room for much.  We leave our room for daily injections at 8am, bloods & Haematologist consult 48 hourly, when the cleaner comes daily, we are allowed to the Rooftop for minimal sun exposure and maximum of 20 minutes due to air quality. All occasions, it is mandatory to wear a mask, we are to change and wash all clothing daily and not eat any foods that aren't cooked (no fresh fruit or vegetables...

 The day I had been waiting for, working towards! Watching the harvesting of my cells, the complexity involved made me keen to get them back again. The harvesting took 3 hours, getting them back took about 20 minutes.  We were driven to Hospital Angeles on Sunday 16th March, it was about 10 minutes from the clinic and fairly quiet. Possibly because it was a Sunday (in Mexico) or perhaps it's a specific area for clinic patients.  We were led to a room and hooked to our cells via the central catheter.  It was well monitored by a room full of medical staff. It seemed to be over in no time and our carers were back in a flash. (they weren’t allowed in during this stage)  We were then chauffeured to the Haematology clinic to celebrate our stem cell birthday, we were gifted a HSCT Warrior T-shirt and now get to have cake twice a year!!!  \ We also get to have our central catheter removed (thank goodness)  I was nervous about having the catheter removed, it wa...

 Fot those at the quiz night, I put note pads and pens on each table & had Di (MC) explain the concept.  I haven’t read the notes until now, I wanted to save them for when we really need a pick me up.  So they have traveled across the world with me, and they were just what I needed. They got funnier as the night got on!!  Thanks to all that took part ♥️ They are THE BEST!!! Thanks for the laughs, tears and heartwarming xx 

 We had the nurse come and do a blood test at 6:15am to ensure my cell count was high enough to start the harvesting!! Luckily it was and I got the call to proceed. Unfortunately not all patients in our group did, so 3 of us went for cell harvesting.  It took 3 hours hooked to a very complex looking machine. There wasn't as many stem cells as I thought, but it was obviously enough.  We waited to get our results and mine was strong, well over what it need to be so full steam ahead!  That afternoon we lined up for our 3rd dose of chemotherapy, all went well, and we returned to the apartment at 7pm. It was a big day, all I really wanted to eat was a bowl of salted hot chips, what was delivered was a bowl of plain crinkle cut chips!! Haha the language barrier is real!!

 Today we took a trip to the hospital to have a catheter placed (central line) for stem cell harvesting, replacement of clean stem cells and the remaining 2 doses of chemo.     It was really well organised. As soon as were all checked in, we were taken to a private suite and waited to go to theatre. Once taken through they attempted to put the IV in for the anaesthesia, they had 2 failed attempts. Because I'd been fasting, my veins were minimal. The anesthetist ended up doing it in the theatre room, I went to sleep and the job was done.  OMG the pain once I got back to the apartment was next level. I assumed that they must have dropped me or something because it was so bad. The catheter/port area (chest/collar bone) itself did not hurt at all, but behind it in my back and shoulder was another story! I later found out that the catheter goes through to the back area which would explain the pain and why we are put to sleep.  I went down for my 7pm injection, M...

 I thought we would have more time to fill by ourselves, but we haven't! The focus has been on plenty of rest for me but we were a little naive in thinking we'd have all this time to learn a language, gym daily, do an assignment from my diploma course, but nope, we haven't.  We do go to the rooftop regularly for some sun and ordered lunch to be delivered there a few times. The gym has only seen us a few times. Its basic but good enough. Marcus takes the stairs most the time, whereas I take the lift.  We eat out of our room as often as possible, with 8am & 7pm injections for a week, we would go to the cafe straight afterwards. Injections at 8am start again in a few days, so I am sure that's where we will be!  Marcus and I were playing Rumikub on the rooftop early in the piece, Bruce from our patient group, knows the game well and was keen to play, so him and I have had 2 games each day since, like a AUS v NZ scenario. We are pretty much on par with winning!  ...

 One thing that had caused me anxiety throughout this process was the inevitable Headshave. As a women, my hair is part of my identity and for as long as I can remember my hair has been long.   I decided 3-4 days in that I was shaving it. Mainly to avoid washing, drying and straightening it again. But I decided to pick a day and time that worked well for everyone back home and that was final. (no backing out!)  I put the message out to the patients at the facility that we would be shaving my hair at 3.30 pm on Tuesday 11th on the rooftop. I received very little response but what transpired on the day made it all just a bit easier. I wasn't sure if I was going to be the only one shaving, and at that point, I wasn't too concerned. Turns out 6 other patients shaved, and others come to support.  Ineke from the Netherlands came to watch, her partner was adamant he didn’t want her to shave and wanted to wait and see what happened with her hair during chemo. She was ha...

   Just an hour after the welcome meeting concluded we were at an external clinic for Chest X Rays . As group 1 we were the first to move through all the stages. Group 1 consist of 4 people of varying ages and MS disability and country of origin. Australia, New Zealand , Canada and Kuwait represented.  On completion of chest X Rays we bussed back to the clinic for an afternoon of information and testing. Chemotherapy Zoom meeting followed by Cardiologist, body measurements and Spirometry testing. It was all very well orchestrated by the clinic where you simply move from one consultation room to the next.  This continued the next morning with more specialist including Neurologist, medical history review, research interview and then Hematology consultation to be given the all clear. When Dr Ruiz confirmed 2 things….. I wasn’t pregnant and I was ok to continue the treatment, it was a hallelujah moment!  We grabbed our lunch pack and headed back out on the bus as gr...

  We arrived!!!  So much has led to this moment, I didn't know if I wanted to cry or shriek with relief that we were finally here!   We were taken straight to our room and asked not to leave it until the doctor had been the next morning & given us a negative covid test result. The isolation felt real! The room was nice enough, it was spacious and had a view with the active volcano at Sunset and sunrise.. It is too much smog to see during the day. The kitchen is very basic in the apartment has two bedrooms, one for the patient and one for the carer If needed. The beds are smaller than a double so Marcus and I have a room each. Upon arrival, we were given a phone which has the months schedule of appointments in the calendar. It also has information about each of these tests and what medications and diet needs to look like that day. There are several WhatsApp groups for communicating with patients and staff. We have an allocated driver, coordinator and housekeeper t...