T Minus 4...

Yesterday was a rough one, even though we were able to be out and about sight seeing. One couple chose to stay in and rest. Puebla is not wheelchair friendly or very handicapped accessible at all. While in Old Puebla, we bounced around on the broken cobbled sidewalks and streets, which was difficult for Dave as wheelchair driver and sometimes painful for me as rider. Finding an accessible restroom proved to be impossible. We paid 50 pesos to use a very clean restroom with stall doors too narrow for my chair, low toilet with no grab bars and no toilet seat (ouch). Dave deserves a medal for helping me through that ordeal! Other than the restroom issues, we were able to  enjoy a tour of some beautiful old churches and lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Puebla is so rich in history. The battle victory that is celebrated as "Cinco De Mayo" was fought in Puebla. An early surprise birthday dinner was planned, for the evening, so I chose creme brulee as my meal. It was amazing! After another harrowing restroom experience, (not quite as bad as the first) we headed back to the apartment. I was exhausted, so I took a nap and sadly decided not to attend the birthday party. Dave went by himself, and I went back to bed. 
This morning, after my shot, I stayed in the apartment while Dave did an early grocery run. He brought me several bottles of Starbucks cold coffee drinks. They cost less than 50% of what we pay in the states. That will be a nice treat when in isolation. This evening, our group is getting together on the rooftop terrace  for a cookout. We will have steak and salmon, and each couple is bringing a side dish to share. This will be our last opportunity to be together for a meal before life gets serious. Dave just went out again with his new British buddy, Ian. They are in charge of getting he meat for tonight at Sam's. Some of the group went wig shopping, but I'm saving my energy for later. I don't think I will mind being bald. It's only temporary and I think Snapchat filters will be hilarious with a bald head. Adios for today...

Pics from inside the church. Lots of gold everywhere. This room's walls and ceiling were completely covered in gold! 

This is the dessert I shared with Dave after our dinner at the Italian restaurant. Tiramisu!

T Minus 6

After our morning injection, we had a meeting with the hematologist. He explained all the details about the pic line we will be receiving on Friday. Sounds like the actual placement will be painless, but it will cause some discomfort after the pain meds wear off. He said that our bone pain will probably increase by the weekend. If it becomes unbearable with the oral pain meds, the doctors/nurses who give the filgrastim shots also carry injectable pain relief. He said not to try to brave thru it...ask for it if we need it... there's no need to suffer. The doctors do their best to keep us comfortable. 

Our original plan was to visit Old Puebla after the clinic visit, but some weren't feeling up to it. Two couples went to a large shopping mall and the other 3 couples were dropped off at the apartments. Dave and I had lunch at a little coffee shop we like, then went home for a rest. Everyone met together at 4:00 to go to a wonderful Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was SO good! We all discussed how we were nearing the end of our freedom. We headed back to the apartments for our evening shot. Isolation will begin on Monday and last till we fly home. "Home". What a lovely word, as our new Brit friends would say. I will miss these precious people terribly. Dave and I have made some strong bonds which will only grow stronger as we approach the most grueling part of the process. 

Tomorrow is the rescheduled Old Puebla visit. I'm so looking forward to it. I hope we are all well enough to participate. Thankfully, I've had some very good days. Hasta manana... ( I can't figure out how to get the ~ thingy above the first "n".)

Our group of 5 patients and  5 carers along with our divers. Lorenzo and Tony

  

T Minus 7

Today, 3 out of the four couples in our group felt well enough for some sightseeing. After our morning shots, we loaded onto the van, and today's driver, Lorenzo along with Tony took us to the Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as Tlachihualtepel. It's the largest pyramid in the world measuring 1,480 ft x 1,480 feet at the base and 217 ft tall. At a distance, the pyramid looks like a natural hill. In 1594, the Spanish built a church on top of the pyramid, "Church of our Lady of Remedies". The pyramid, which is actually a temple, was built in 4 stages, starting in the 3rd century BC through the 9th Century AD and dedicated to the deity, Quetzalcoatl. If you want more info, Google "Chalula pyramid". Only part of the temple has been excavated. 
The carers (walkies) climbed the hill and visited the church. Photos are prohibited inside, but Dave took some pics outside and of the view from the top. We "rollies" enjoyed drinks in the cool of a cafe'. Lorenzo bought some fried crickets from a street vendor. Dave tried one. He said it was "just ok". I was willing to try one, but they were all gone, by the time we all met together at thecafe'. Maybe I'll get a chance later. After the pyramid visit, we went to a really nice restaurant in Chalula for an early supper. We ate outdoors under the shade of large umbrellas. I wish I had pics from there. It was a beautifully landscaped courtyard with a lovely breeze. 
After our meal, we headed back to the apartments to arrive in time for our evening injection. We are planning another outing for tomorrow in "Old Puebla". There is a flea market there and lots of little shops. I may even get the chance to try a fried cricket. Buenos Noches!

T Minus 8

Yesterday was a quiet day... no van trips to the clinic until Teusday for a consult with a hematologist. It was the first day of twice a day injections at the apartment. The filgrastim injections cause bone pain, but so far I'm just a little achy, and pain meds make it manageable. We had an early lunch at the apartment, then met Tony for a grocery run to Walmart. The rest of our group chose to stay in, because they were feeling sick. The Walmart is located in a large nice mall with lots of interesting shops and restaurants. After shopping for groceries, we went to a cafe for Tony's lunch and coffees for us. I convinced Dave to try a mocha cappuchino and I had a cookies and cream frappe. Both were delicious... I'm getting spoiled! Then we went back to the apartment where I took a nice long nap. We went to a small mall within walking distance for a dinner of Tacos. We got back to the apartment to get my evening shot. We have to be in the apartments between 7 and 9 AM and 7 and 9 PM for injections. We spent the rest of the evening watching
American Netflix. We downloaded a program called ExpressVPN which allows our computer's IP address to appear to be in the US. Then we connect the laptop to the smart TV.  Otherwise, we would only get Netflix content from Mexico. The only English speaking channel we've found on our TV is FoxNews. That's good to have.
We're going to venture out to our little mall for lunch soon. Restaurant food is very reasonable here and so far, we've enjoyed all of our meals. At some point (I think maybe after March 13) we will be restricted to the apartments. The patients cannot leave, and the carers may go out wearing a mask, and must change clothes and wash well after returning. My immune system will be wiped out and rebuilding, so I have to be super careful about germs and possible infections. So for now, I'm going to enjoy my freedom. Tony will take us for a day of sightseeing before restrictions begin and when everyone is feeling well. Adios for now.




















 

Sorry... I miscalculated. TODAY is T Minus 10...

This was Day 2 of chemo. I felt fine after my first chemo yesterday until this morning at 3:00. I woke up with terrible nausea and a headache. I couldn't get back to sleep, and I had to meet the transport van at 7:30. Poor Dave stayed up with me bringing me Sprite and helping me to the bathroom several times. This apartment is very accessible for me in normal circumstances, and I can be independent here for the most part, but I needed extra help this morning. Hence... Dave to the rescue. I had an episode of dry heaves at the apartment and another in the van. I was mortified and embarrassed, but everyone tried to make me feel better. They are a fantastic bunch. After I got hooked up to the chemo, I was given anti-nausea meds in the I.V.. It took affect immediately and all was right with the world. I have some pills to take at the apartment now in case I get sick again. 

Starting tomorrow through Day T Minus 2, a nurse will come to the apartment every morning and evening to give me an injection of Filgrastim which will mobilize my stem cells and bring them out of the bone marrow and into the blood stream where they can be collected and stored until they are returned to me after my final chemo. I'll also start taking several pills each day following the instructions in the treatment plan. Dave will keep me in line with the pills, so I won't have to think too hard (chemo brain, ya know). 

I'm not sure what's happening tonight for dinner (or Tea as the Brits say). We are waiting for reports on how the rest of our group is feeling after chemo. One of the women wasn't feeling very well earlier. So far, I'm feeling alright. Until tomorrow... Adios.

T Minus 10

We had our first day of chemo this afternoon. It took about 5 hours. We all got through it fine. We made it back to the apartments around 8:00. Dave got me settled in, then he ran out for some Mexican food. Don't know what it was exactly, but it was great! This will be a short post, because tomorrow is another chemo day. We have to meet the van at 7:30 AM. I still have to finish drinking my required 3 liters before heading off to bed. Thankfully, I'm nearly finished.

This is "Group 3". The guy standing beside Dave is our driver, Tony. The guy in the center in the yellow shirt is Lorenzo. Since we 5 patients are all "wheelies", Lorenzo drives the wheelchairs in a separate van. Both of these guys assist with loading us on and off. They are so kind and compassionate. They are also quite witty which makes the process as fun as possible.   

The count down begins! '"T Minus 11"

We're counting down the days till "Day 0" when my stem cells will be re-introduced to my body giving me a new birthday for my immune system. Today we met with Dr. Ruiz, the head of the Mexico HSCT program. He went over the results of all the tests and let us know if we were healthy enough to start the process. Everyone in our group of 5 passed! So tomorrow we will start chemotherapy.

There's a total of 20 MS patients and 20 carers here from various places around the globe. In my patient group of 5, there are 2 from the US (myself and a woman from Georgia) and a woman and 2 men from the UK. We have gone through the testing days together and will receive our chemo together in the chemo room. We're told it will be a 3 - 4 hour process. We've already become friends, and by the time we fly home, we'll feel like family. We went out to supper last night with the group. We had a blast! I laughed till I cried! We're having a pizza party tonight before the serious stuff gets underway.

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We just returned from the pizza party on the rooftop terrace of the apartment building next door where more of the patients are staying. It was a lovely evening spent getting to know more about each other, and of course, more laughing. I think we're all feeling a bit nervous about tomorrow's chemo. Before leaving the building for our own apartments, our group stopped in for a visit with another partying group starting chemo in the morning. A young woman from New Mexico, who had her first  day of chemo this afternoon, came in for awhile to share her experience. It was reassuring to hear that no one in her group had any problems. Hopefully, our group will have smooth sailing as well. 

I'm heading off to bed. Dave (aka Steve) is already asleep. 

Big day tomorrow... Goodnight.

                        The view from the rooftop terrace.