Day Zero

By Mat on Vanessa's behalf.

Like many a Hollywood blockbuster, 'Stem Cell Day 2 - The Return of the Stem Cell' was in  some ways a bit of a dissappointment.  I'm not sure what I was expecting... just perhaps something more for something so utterly important?  Sure, the cast was there, the glamourous leading lady, fine supporting roles from the nurses, and even a cameo from myself (I was working from the hospital room yesterday to keep Vanessa company).  The plot seemed good too from the blurb on the poster:  It's a race against time as cryogenically frozen stem cells are returned to their host. 

It started off quite interesting, with strange bits of equipment appearing outside of the hospital room, and nurses making things ready.  Around lunchtime, one of the said bits of shiney equipment was wheeled in and filled with water,  This turned out to be nothing more exciting than a warm water bath used to defrost the frozen stem cells.  This was left to heat up and stabilise for half an hour while we awaited the arrival of the cells from the lab.  They turned up in a giant polystyrene thermos flask full of liquid nitrogen.  This I guess could be alikened to the major action scene you see in the trailers.  The lid was opened to clouds of chilled smoke.  The nurse donned huge gaunlets and a pair of tongs, and carefully extracted a bubble wrapped pouch that crackled and steamed as it met the warm air of the room.  After the labels were carefully checked against the notes in Vanessa's file, the package was unwrapped and slid quietly into the water bath.  And that was about the extent of the excitement.  You'd seen all the good bits in the trailer. 

5 minutes later a pinkish bag was hooked up to Vanessa's IV line, and the cells slowly dripped back into her arm. 

The oddest thing about the whole proceedure was the smell.  Just like a trip to the cinema, where the smell of slightly stale popcorn overwhelms the venue, after around five minutes of Vanessa being hooked up to the drip a strange smell began to arise.  Not popcorn, but rather sweetcorn!  Even stranger was this scent was coming directly from Vanessa.  The preservative used to store the cells is purged from the body by the lungs and through the skin... and it smells like a sort of artificial sweetcorn.  By late afternoon the smell was quite astonishing.  As Vanessa said, 'Its like having the Jolly Green Giant sharing your room'.  Very strange.  I'm just hoping it doesnt put either Vanessa or myself off real sweetcorn all together, as we both are big fans. 

Despite the proceedure being not a lot more complicated than defrosting something you'd be having for dinner tonight, it was about as critical to Vanessa as you can get.  Without that inoccuous bag of pink fluid, the chemo taken the day before would leave Vanessa completely defenceless to infection, and unable to make any new blood cells.  Ever.  Not a happy thought. 

Fortunately, the event was uneventful.  No dramas, no emergency buzzers, no issues at all.  I would have been annoyed if I'd paid to see it at the cinema, but as it was, I'm very grateful it was dull.  Duller the better in this case.  :)

Yesterday was Day Zero.  The first day of a new start.  Vanessa now has two birthdays.  Like the Queen she is. 

Mat.