This afternoon the whole group met up at the clinic for final instructions, questions and answers, and some celebrating. We are officially done here and now all we have left to do is pack up and fly out tomorrow.
Dr. Elias went over a quick review of what we can expect this next year though recovery and gave us an overview of the do’s and don’t’s to maintain a healthy immune system. I was relieved when he and Dr. Gomez said to return to life as usual, to an extent. I will have to avoid any sick or unvaccinated people for the next 6-12 months, but other than that, it is pretty much just common sense being my guide. No large crowds, no eating out for 3 months, no alcohol for 6 months (unless you ask Dr. Gomez, who hijacked Dr. Elias’ speech and told us to drink and watch adult movies….it’s good for the heart!), and lots and lots of hand sanitizing and hand washing.
We were also each given a folder that contained all of our blood work and test results as well as instructions for when we return home. They are very thorough here and made sure we all left today with all of our questions answered.
It is tradition that on the last day at the clinic, each patient puts a pin on a giant world map marking their hometown. Monterrey is a new location for HSCT for MS since the other clinic in Puebla, Mexico was being inundated with patients and the waiting list was growing. So this map has plenty of new room for more patients! I was the first patient from Michigan to receive treatment here and I am so excited to watch this map get filled with pins. The group of doctors and staff here are incredible and top notch. I can’t speak highly enough about them. What an honor it has been to be looked after by this team. I will forever be indebted to them and to everyone back home who made this possible for me.
The team here in Monterrey sent us home with lovely gift boxes filled with lotions and soaps and one of the patients surprised us all with coffee mugs with our group picture on it. These people feel like family. Scratch that, they are family. We are a family of warriors.
The doctors put together a video for us and by the end of it, most of us were in tears and grabbing for tissues. This has been an amazing and emotional month and it was so cool to watch this video that starts with a picture from our very first day and ends with our stem cell birthday. I’ve watched this video 5 times and I cry every time. What a treasure it is to have this memory.
I say that this month has been easy, and to an extent, it really has. It was not nearly as bad as I expected to be. The bone pain was intense, and getting my picc line placed was a bit of a nightmare (but a blessing in the end), but all in all, this treatment was a breeze and completely worth it. If it weren’t for my bald head, you wouldn’t know that I’ve been through anything!
Many of you have asked when I will know if this treatment has worked or not. Well, the short answer is that time will tell. I will still be seeing my neurologist for yearly checkups and MRIs and those MRIs along my symptoms will tell if it has worked. Much like cancer patients, how do you know if their chemo worked? You know because it doesn’t come back. I cannot expect my current symptoms of heat intolerance, blurry vision, and imbalance issues to ever go away. I can hope, but it is not guaranteed. My best case scenario is that the disease progression is halted. That is the main goal of HSCT. Many patients see major improvements in their disabilities, but that would just an added bonus.
I will be updating my blog as my recovery goes along because I think it is very important for this to not be the end of my story. It is the end of my time in Monterrey, but the journey never ends.
So this is my final time saying adios here in mexico, but I will be back with updates from home.
Thank you for following my month long journey here in Mexico. Your kind words of encouragement and praise have made the world of difference to me helping me stay positive.
Much love to you all. Adios
Adios, MS! 