Tag Archives: hope

HSCT Discharge day from the hospital!

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi all!
September 29th, I have been discharge day from the hospital. September 28th, I was in incredible pain even though that day my white blood cell count was below zero. I woke up on the 29th and I was at .07 white blood cell count, they took my blood after noon and I was at 2.2, what?! ha ha, so time to go home. FYI it was my Day +8. It happens quick, once your blood cell count goes up it is time to go! At noon, we packed up everything in suitcases with anticipation of being released. Around 4pm, my PICC line was removed and it doesn’t hurt, so no worries people! Sergei bought the tickets back to Dallas that afternoon and we flew out at 10:30pm (thank you American Airlines for bumping us up , and letting us to sit together). So does this make me HSCT veteran now?
I am very thankful to Worcester House (Ken and Bruce), Northwestern, all the amazing nurses, all the PA’s, especially Kaitlyn Leska and Dr. Richard Burt himself. To be honest with you there are so many people to thank, really thank you everyone! This has been a crazy, emotional, challenging experience for which I am thankful to have given a chance to be part of.
So now we wait, wait for me to gain my strength, my immune system, and hopefully, hopefully this will stop the progression of my desease, everything else will be a cherry on top.
I am not going away, there will be more posts and videos, like it or not 😛

So this video below is something I told I will do for Sergei but of course, how could we not tape it?! I am singing I Will Survive (me telling MS to F OFF!)…wait for it…on helium, of course!

Here is us, saying goodbye to Chicago

Day +8. Dawn of new era

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , , ,

Night was rough. Not much sleep till later, morphine help, threw up couple of times. Couldn’t stand up to walk to bathroom.

White cell count taken at 2pm. And its finally more than 0.1! its 0.7! Meaning recovery starts.

Doctors just came in, I am stopping neupogene shots… Hurrah! And I am going to get morphine because pain is still there. Double hurrah!

New era. New me. This is look from the side window today, above lake Michigan.
sunrise on Day+8
Every sunrise is a hope for new beginnings. For new life.

Recovery road is going to be long and windy and rollercoaster , according to many.
But at least I will be not locked in hospital. And I will be with my family.

Day +1, HSCT Transplant is around the corner!

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , , , , , , ,

Day +1, Transplant is around the corner for HSCT with Dr. Richard Burt. Day +1 was a good day, I was freed from cath and had a couple of hours of nothing running into my veins. Nausea and fatigue was rough but that is to be expected. I cried a lot that day, thinking of my family an wanting to see them and hug them. Thought about the meaning of life and what is important in this life. It’s almost like here is the point when you will start a new life, so re-evaluation and analyzing was in order for me.
Love Always, Lana

Part 2 – HSCT Transplant

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is the Part 2 video, it is a good video to watch.
So, basically I am admitted to the hospital for HSCT Transplant with Dr. Richard Burt and the countdown begins from day +5, Day 0 is your transplant day and everything there after is Day -x.
I talk about what the admission entails and other details. Please, leave comments, questions and feedback.

Feeling Scared, overwhelmed to start the transplant

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, I got to go home for 11 days after my mobilization and harvest.
The time was ticking and I started to feel emotional about leaving my family and being gone at NorthWesten for HSCT with Dr. Richard Burt. A bit of fear kicked in as well. So I made this video, the message is that it is ok to be fearful it is a normal reaction, so I asked for everyone just allow me to feel it.
Love Always, Lana

HSCT Dr. Burt (Stem Cell Transplant) Part 1

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is a video that is a must watch.
This video was made after mobilization at Northwestern for HSCT with Dr. Richard Burt. I go into fairly deep explanation what it involved and what will come in the next few days. From chemo to other medications, what am I am expected to feel like and so on.
This is Part 1.

Caregivers, loved ones, relationships and auto-immune decease

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , , , ,

This video came along very naturally to us. Sergei and I hear from the patients as well as loved ones, and it is hard to maintain a strong, loving, lasting relationship while facing a scary monster(such as Multiple Sclerosis in our case) that can attack at any time. So here is our perspective on it, how we make it work, it’s honest and raw. I hope you will enjoy. Leave your comments!
Love Always, Lana

What is MS? How Multiple Sclerosis symptoms affect everyone differently.

HSCT Journey: Present to Future, , , , , ,

My friend and neighbor Bon, she is an amazing woman. Twice cancer survivor and she has MS, crazy ha?!
We recorded this video because after I started my fund raising and posting about my coming up journey for HSCT/Dr.Richard Burt, I started to receive messages from people who seemed…confused? Some people think it’s a flu, where others say what is the big deal?! because they know someone who has MS and they are fine.
No, no my friends, it is not fine. MS is silent killer, most people who are suffering, suffer in silence. Symptoms differ for everyone, and this post or that video could be so much longer, I can talk about it all night but I won’t. Here is what I recorded. Please, enjoy, leave your comments and feedback.