Stem Cell Collection and Liver Issues

I finally had my stem cell extraction process last Sunday. I was hooked up to the apheresis machine for 5 hours. I didn't have the bountiful harvest I had 9 years ago but I had a sufficient amount for a transplant.

Unfortunately my liver started acting up. The normal ALT and AST numbers for the liver range from 7-56 units/liter and 10-40 units/liters for AST. I started at 25 which is great. Then it raised up over 100, then 300, then 500 and the next day my counts were over 1000. YIKES! I had two liver ultra sounds one yesterday and one today. The ultra sound tech told me my liver was perfect and beautiful! It is functioning fine but until these mysterious high counts go down I am stuck here at the hospital. They have not idea what's causing this. It could possibly the shots I received to stimulate stem cell growth...but they have never seen this particular side effect before. I am an enigma as usual. I may need a liver biopsy tomorrow but I pray not. They want to go through my jugular vein which is already being utilized by my Hickman cathedar and my pacemaker!
I really wanted to go back to our apartment today. I packed my bag and left it on the bed when the "team"came in to talk to me this morning. "Where are you going"?  they asked. I told them I was going home. They had other plans for me. They weren't comfortable with that. I felt completely devastated. I can't stand this hospital room another minute! Dale and I snuck outside across the street to the UW campus to experience the eclipse for an hour or so. It was so glorious to be outside in the sunshine. The nurse called us eventually wondering where we were and we trudged back to the
hospital.

Eric and his family have been visiting me regularly at the hospital. It's been so nice to be so close to them despite the unfavorable circumstances.

                   Here is my little Parker having a great time visiting grandma in the hospital.



Dale and I at Rialto Beach on the Olympic Peninsula before all the craziness started.

 

Pacemaker scar.  It is looking better as time goes on.

 

 

I started this draft while in the hospital and have since been released from UWMC.

Though I am so happy to be out of the hospital my liver issues are slowing the transplant process down significantly. Quite frankly, I've never thought about my liver too much. It has always done it's job. But now, for whatever reason that they can only speculate my liver enzymes are through the roof. They are trending down as they say but it is a slow process. Nothing more can be done until they stabilize. It could take anywhere from 1-6 weeks!

We are going back home to the Tri-Cities tomorrow, Friday. We are hopeful as I am monitored at home that my liver enzymes will return to normal and we can return to Seattle to actually FINISH this ordeal.

 

 

This is my lovely Hickman Catheter It does make my blood draws much less painful but it comes with it's challenges...such as daily flushing, tenderness, concerns about sterilization, elaborate ritual of covering the site for showers and such.