Gratifying

Many of you may already have known, and others are coming to realize through the “pages” of this blog, that I tend to skew a little bit toward the “unusual” (I prefer to characterize it as unique or special).  As an example of my somewhat curved perspective, I recently encountered a situation as a result of my cancer that I can honestly describe as gratifying.  Wait: Did he just use the words cancer and gratifying in the same sentence?!  Better check his meds - something can’t be right!  Worry not my dear readers.

Taking HIPAA rules into consideration, I can share that I recently helped a friend of a friend who was about to go through an autologous stem cell transplant (SCT - using the patient's own stem cells) for their Multiple Myeloma - same as me back in December 2017.  Each person’s transplant journey is different; they’re reactions and results.  But I was able to share with them: some of the experiences that I encountered in the weeks and days before the treatment occurred (eg: only time during all of my chemo that my hair fell out at any noticeable amount; lessened by my preemptive buzz cut); what the actual lesser-known initial post-procedural side effects were that I had encountered (ie: difficulty swallowing/eating and general malaise for about two weeks); and the realistic timeline from first stem cell drip to eventually feeling/eating normal again (for me: feeling better after about 20 days - though it was closer to 6 weeks before I was fully able to taste and eat just about anything I wanted).

My POV was not intended to change their mind or assuage their fears about the transplant-ing (there was no doubt for them nor no level of distress to fear).  Rather I hoped that the sound of my voice from "the other side" of the process would reassure them in a more forthright way than the doctors and nurses were earnestly providing.  Not that theirs was disingenuous or insincere in any way, but rather that they are legitimate experts in performing the procedure (albeit as witnesses), where I was essentially an "expert" in going through the procedure.

I don't know more about SCTs than a medical professional, but I do know what happened to me and could potentially happen to my cancer friend as well - the travails and eventual triumphs.  That’s how this was gratifying to me . . . to be asked, and even more importantly being able to help (I hope).