Lying in bed for four and a half hours is surprisingly exhausting.
The blood leaves my body at 98.6 degrees, the stem cells are extracted and the blood comes back into my body at the chilly room temperature of 72 degrees. It feels as though ice water is surging through my veins. I manage to read about ten pages of a book before seeking refuge under a mound of warm blankets. It's difficult to turn pages when your hands are nestled four layers beneath the book.
And, unfortunately, the laptop/DVD idea doesn't pan out either because there's nowhere to put the laptop when it's not in use. The beds are very narrow and there aren't any side tables.
So I watch TV, doze off and make futile attempts at reading. There are several other patients in the room, but the beds are spaced too far apart for chatting. Doesn't sound like I'm having fun, does it. I think I'll try to download some books onto my iPod.
Today I got the report on my stem cell production. I'm not going to be one of those stem cell over-achievers who are in and out in three days. The first day is supposed to be the biggest harvest, but I only pumped out .6 million yesterday. We need 4.4 million more to reach the 5 million goal.
Dr. Wang, who heads the collection department, said that I'll definitely be in all five days this week and we'll evaluate on Friday how things are going.
Keep those cheers coming!
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