At 11pm last night, a friendly nurse came to my room and gave me an injection in my arm. She was quick and precise in her work, so much so that I felt a little silly for being so anxious about the whole thing.
I woke up at about 2am and realized that my bone marrow had began its march. I knew that the nurse was coming again at 3, so I just curled up in a sweaty ball and shook it out. When the darling nurse returned with my next mobilizing injection, she gave me a pained expression and then gestured towards her bum with a question mark on her face. I nodded, as we had just exchanged crude sign language for, “You in pain? Want pain shot?”
She gave me the injection and I passed out in a restless fit of crazy dreams. I woke this morning with hair that rivals Seinfeld’s Kramer and a headache like I had been partying. Dr.Fedorenko popped in with my fresh roasted coffee (LOVE this doctor!!) and asked how I was feeling. I told him that I felt pretty rough and he asked if I would like another shot of Ketamine. Ah ha! That was my 3am party call. I got the fun stuff that kids in the States call “Special K.” Feeling rotten from the mobilizing agents, and not one to turn down a party, I agreed to another shot. When in Russia…
It is now mid morning and I am on my steroid IV. I am hopeful that we will be able to take a little walk this afternoon to work some of this toxic feeling out of my system. Dr.Fedorenko reminded me that this procedure is intense and that I need to take any comfort he can give. I have been blessed with many good doctors in my life, but I believe he will always be my favorite.
Amy Goes Ninja on MS 
I have been following your story and your updates are inspiring! Hope it all goes well. X
🙂 thank you
So glad you have a physician that is not afraid to treat pain! Your body heals better without dealing with the stress of pain. Take the Special K and party like a rockstar! Praying for relief of your pain through this and beyond!
Thank you, Dr. You are a handy friend right now. 🙂
Ketamine is a really safe anesthetic – so long as you do not choke on the thickened saliva that tends to be a side-effect, you can take large amounts of it with no ill effects. I used it on a Muslim patient who had a terrible wound I needed to sharp debride (he refused to go to a hospital because he knew they would amputate it and then he would not be allowed into heaven). He said while he was under, he saw Jesus.
I also tried, unsuccessfully, to euthanize a friend’s suffering old dog with lots of ketamine. It did not work – it just isn’t dangerous enough.
I googled it as soon as I heard. You know how I love my google. 😉 I love you, Linda and I love your invaluable eye on my cause.
I started following you, thinking about doing the same. I wish you luck! You are strong!
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the people who live blogged their experiences with HSCT. I am sure I will forget much of this when I am finished (kind of like childbirth) and I want to pay it forward as well as I can. The best advocate is a patient advocate and I am honored to be one. Blessings on your journey!