Filgrastim has arrived

The first dose of Filgrastim has arrived today. They sent it overnight, and has everything needed to give the first injection. Actually, I think I mentioned, it will be two injections. So two needles and two bottles arrived today.

The filgrastim (Neupogen) has arrived!

I have to keep the filgrastim in the fridge until my first shot Thursday. For some reason, my primary care physician has decided not to administer the first injection, but no worries, there is a medical place about a mile from my house (much closer than my PCP) that will be doing it instead. Prior to the injection, they will draw blood (again!) to get a baseline of my white cell count, platelets, and then check vital signs. For days 2, 3 and 4 of the injections, they will only do vital signs each day but then on day 5, the day of the donation, they will do another blood sample to see how effective the filgrastim has been. It's really starting to sink in now, that I'm getting ready to save a life. 

I've been taking calcium supplements for the last couple of days and will continue to take them through the donation. The reason for this is that during the donation, there will be an anticoagulant mixed in my blood, which can cause dizziness or tingling in the fingertips and mouth area. If not treated, the tingling will eventually turn into cramps. Calcium is given to offset the reactions of the anticoagulant. The nurse at the hospital during my physical said it's a good idea to start taking the calcium supplements about the same time you start the filgrastim injections, but I figured I might as well get a good head start!

Once the injections begin on Thursday, I'll be running daily updates on the blog through the donation and for a few days after. I want to do this to document how I feel each day, so that anyone that is contemplating doing this will know exactly what the experience may be like. This really helped ease my mind when I was first notified that I was a match, to know what to expect, and how different people felt when taking the filgrastim shots. Most people say they do get aches and pains, and headaches, but I'm hoping that it will be minimal for me, and that I will still be able to visit areas in Washington D.C. with my wife for a couple days prior to the donation. From what I have seen, the 3rd and 4th days are the roughest, with the 4th day seeming to be the worst. The 5th day I will get a shot early but then immediately be hooked up to the apheresis machine for the donation, and lay all day so I don't anticipate feeling any worse that day. 

One last day of getting everything in order tomorrow. Still have to finalize transportation to the airport Friday morning, as well as schedule the exact time of the injection on Thursday. The coordinator at DKMS still has to send me information on who to see about getting my daily shots once I arrive at Georgetown University Hospital on Friday. I believe it's all been arranged, but they just need to send me the itinerary. The people at DKMS have been wonderful through this whole thing. Which brings me to something else I should mention..... my job. Most of my friends and family that read this know I work for Microsoft. When I mentioned to my manager that I was a match for someone, I have received nothing but support the whole way. I never had to worry about taking the time off to do this, and I have several colleagues at work that have moved schedules around to cover my shift and workload while I will be out. They have all been wonderful, have and will be covering for me without any complaints. They know the importance of what I'm doing and I can't say enough of how great it is to work for a company and with colleagues that support you 100% for something like this.