This may seem odd, but the pre-stem-cell-transplant experience has reminded Don of his pre-army-basic-training experience from many years ago. They are similar in that they both defied getting a good handle on what the ensuing experience would be like. Basic training was mysterious (and no internet back then to research the subject) and full of 'hazing' rituals. The stem cell procedure has such a wide range of possible outcomes ('every one is different') that no reliable prediction of the experience is possible. You just have to go for the ride and find out for yourself.
Basic training was a strong experience for Don. He had never been away from home, much less thrown in to such an intense experience. One memory he has (maybe it has evolved over time) is that, for the entire eight weeks, the rumor persisted that everyone was going to get 'shots in their left nut with a six-inch long square needle'! The recruits often were marched somewhere and lined up, waiting for something to happen. That's when the rumor would make it up and down the line, making everyone quite apprehensive. That particular shot never materialized. The other big rumor was that everyone would be 'gassed in the gas chamber'. That did actually happen in the fourth week, where all were taken in to a building where a tear gas grenade was set off, and they all had to take their gas masks off momentarily (seemed like forever), before being allowed to exit. So, they took all the rumors seriously.
Don digresses....
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