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03/01/2007: "Results from Europe Trip #3"
Originally the doctor said that it would take about four sessions before we knew if this treatment was going to be successful. So it looks like I will follow through with the recommended six treatments over six months (barring the strain on the family and bank account).
To review, the treatment requires a fourteen vial blood draw on the first morning I get there. They then send that blood to the lab where they isolate the monocytes within the blood. These immune system cells are then “educated” for one week to become Dendritic Cells. Discovered only a few decades ago and pertinent to HIV/AIDs, these are the commanders of your immune system army. They direct the T-Cells and others to fight a foreign substance. Cancer is so dangerous because, as foreign cells, the tumors are successful in hiding from your immune system.
So I got back into Cologne on Monday and on Tuesday evening went in for my injections. The syringes always have numbers on them representing the number of cells that were cultured and the % successful. This time my numbers were 47.4 million and 93%. On quizzing the doctor, he said that the average patient is between 5 and 20 million and that my number represented a very healthy blood making system. The bad news was that he needed to use a larger needle to push that concentration of cells into my shoulders.
So all and all, it was a good trip. A special thanks to Mary and Terry who were my chaperones while I was in London. Not only did they share their wealth of knowledge about the theater and the sites in London but they also looked after me. I am so grateful to them for making the trip extra fun and educational.
More photos are here. I played a little with Photoshop on some to make them a little more unique. Since all of these pictures have been taken millions of times before.