I will say that I approached the stem cell transplant process with some trepidation. \u00a0I did not and do not have any doubt that this is the best path for me. \u00a0All other options basically slow the inevitable to a crawl, at best. \u00a0Not acceptable if there is an alternative. \u00a0The stem cell transplant is a pretty rigorous procedure to undergo, but the end result is an<\/p>\n
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autoimmune system reset and an end to scleroderma. \u00a0No guarantees here, and there is a significant relapse rate, but the reward is worth the risk. \u00a0I also learned two days ago that the treatment protocol is being modified still further by adding Rituximab to the chemotherapy treatment that kills off my existing immune system. \u00a0And I respond well to Rituximab.<\/p>\n
I’m here for two weeks this time. \u00a0The end result is a plastic pouch with 4 to 10 million of my stem cells that will be frozen until I return at the end of January for the actual transplant process. \u00a0The “recess” is to allow me to recover, because upon return they really clobber me with chemotherapy to kill off my existing malfunctioning immune system. \u00a0To me, it’s a little bit like calling a time out to ice the field goal kicker in football. \u00a0They give me a taste of what this is all about and then let me sit and think about it for a week or two before really getting into the weeds with six straight days of serious chemotherapy.<\/p>\n
There is no way I’m backing out of this unless I’m thrown out, of course. \u00a0It must be the engineer in me, but there is a real cool factor to all of this that really intrigues me. \u00a0I’ll the eighteenth person in the world to undergo this particular “heart friendly” protocol as a part of this clinical trial. \u00a0The really good news is that the preceding 17 people all lived! \u00a0Not the case with earlier protocols.<\/p>\n
As a closing side note, my wife Jill has a rare autoimmune disease called Wegener’s Disease. \u00a0Back in 1988 when she was diagnosed it was uniformly fatal. \u00a0We went to see a Dr. DeRamee at Mayo Clinic as one of the experts in this almost unknown disease. \u00a0He offered us two options. \u00a0One was the standard treatment in use at the time that only offered to slow the progression. \u00a0Or we could opt for a new protocol introduced by Dr. Wegener in Germany. \u00a0Jill would be the eighteenth person in the world to be placed on this antibiotic protocol, but it showed very good promise. \u00a0We elected the new protocol. \u00a0Jill is here and thriving nearly 30 years later. \u00a0As an engineer, superstition is not my thing, but I like the confluence of our paths right now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I will say that I approached the stem cell transplant process with some trepidation. \u00a0I did not and do not have any doubt that this is the best path for me. \u00a0All other options basically slow the inevitable to a … Continue reading