Angela’s Brain Stem Injury Blog

today’s the day for my 2nd stem cell injection

May 24th, 2007

ok, i’m thinking NO ONE READS THIS! so i’m very unmotivated to keep this updated.

IF YOU’RE READING THIS, PLEASE LEAVE ME SOME COMMENTS SO I KNOW SOMEONE OUT THERE IS READING MY BLOG! PLEASE! OK????
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ok, i just finished my chinese breakfast of zongzi and the gruel. i didn’t eat the hard-boiled egg and the rest. zongzi is the rice wrapped in the leaves.that’s what it looks like when you take off all the leaves.

i’m just in my room waiting for the stem cells to arrive at the hospital. my friend down the hall basil will also get his injection but his injection is going to be injected into his brain, so he is not allowed to eat or drink anything. luckily i have the lumbar spine injection so that’s not a problem. i can eat and drink beforehand.

these are 2 of my junior doctors and that’s tina the head nurse on the far right.

the doctors told me that the stem cells should be here by 10am but last time they were late also. i didn’t go into the OR until 11:15, so we’ll see. william’s still not here yet also, so hopefully he’ll get here before the stem cells arrive.

let me tell you….my TCM (traditional chinese medicine) doctor changed. rose left this hospital a while ago so i’ve been seeing dr. guan. he doesn’t speak much english so wendy comes to my sessions and translates for us. plus i like having her in there with me since he’s a man. this is dr. guan. he’s nice. it’s just sometimes difficult to talk with him if wendy’s not there with me since his english is basic. but he’s good and i believe more experienced than rose so that’s great!
ok, since he’s a guy, i was worried and the first time i was treated by him, kamee told me to wear something so i didn’t have to undress in front of him. i borrowed her sweater which has buttons so i wore it backwards so it was easier for him to get to my back which is where he’s treating me.

yea, william’s here now! it’s 10:30! i’m hungry so we’re gonna have some frosted strawberry poptarts now. i’m starving! ok, i do hope the stem cells arrive soon because i want the 6 hours on my back done and finished!!! ok, i’m off to eat my poptarts. stay tuned and i’ll fill you in later on how i am after my 2nd stem cell injection!

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howdy! it is 19:16 now and i just had a cup ramen which my parents sent over with william when he got back from seoul last friday. i didn’t get to eat since i was on my back for 6 hours!!!! this time wasn’t as bad because the head nurse tina told me that i could move my head from side to side, not just look straight up for 6 hours!!!! that was sooo tough last time.

let’s see, this morning, the OR nurse came at 10:45 and (on my face=not looking forward to the pain…) took me on the operating gurney instead of a wheelchair this time. i begged dr. han to make it hurt less this time so he told me he’d put more anesthetic in me. it was much better this time! i also asked if i could see the stem cells again and he showed me. they are in this tiny little bottle container. amazing that that little amount can help people so much!!!

this time my right leg went numb and hurt whereas last time for my first stem cell injection, my left leg hurt more and my right leg went tingly. this time, it was all my right leg. now you know i just kept praying to god the whole time again and thank goodness he held my hand and kept me calm again. whew!!!!!

i’m so silly. i was looking around the OR this time and i found the digital clock behind the operating table so i know that dr. han finished injecting the stem cells and then waited for a minute or so before he said we were all done!!! that was 11:02!!!! hahah that way i knew exactly how long i had to be flat on my back for 6 hours.

i got back to my room and william was here waiting and working on his laptop. i think he took some pictures and videos. i’ll check my camera later. luckily my digicam is like me and indestructible! it’s come so close to dying many many times but it keeps chugging along! that’s the spirit!!! haha
so this time i finished my frosted strawberry poptart while i was flat on my back. i had to chew slowly and be careful. luckily i have an IV tube which i use for a straw, so i got to have some water also. i’ve been reading celeb magazines like cosmo, people and us. i brought all the ones i had in our beijing apartment and another patient brought some so in the computer room there are lots! good stuff!!!

it’s funny that i am so darn tired and sleepy so i am going to actually get ready for bed!!! i can’t take a shower because again the area on my back with the bandaid needs to stay dry for 2 days, dr. xi said last time. so ok….

also i got 5 IVs (happydot with me on my shoulder) when i came back to my room. remember i told you that my veins are realy thin? so after the 3rd one, my left vein wasn’t cooperating and my arm was hurting and it looked like the IV liqiud was going into my skin tissue!!! OUCH!!! it was so the nurse esther had to do a quick IV into my right hand top. luckily it didn’t stay. so now i am free of any needles and such! YEA!!!!!!!!!
let’s summarize my day with my 2nd stem cell injection. i didn’t have any adverse reaction again , no fever, no aches, no pain, and i am soooo happy and praise god for watching over me!!! yea!! so

ok, it’s now 21:20, hubby wants to watch a grey’s anatomy show and then i’m going to bed.

more later!!

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