Day 29 - Second Chances

You almost never get another chance to do something right the first time.  But every once in a while you get a second chance.  Say for example you don't get marriage right the first time (as some of us don't).  You've got to take a deep breath, let go of old mistakes and learn to believe again.

Day 22 - Talking Pillows

Did you notice anything missing from the picture of Jay yesterday?

Day 21 - Happy Birthday - (Again)

It's not too often that you get two birthday's in one year.  You might remember just a few short weeks ago Jay's brand new bone marrow was born.  (That post is here) But today was his real birthday, 57-years and going strong!  

Day 14 - Home Sweet Home

Home has never been sweeter!

Day 12 - Welcome Back Bone Marrow!

Today at doctor's rounds we heard the words we have longed to hear.  "He has engrafted nicely".  I particularly appreciated the word "nicely".   What this means is that the transplant was successful and Jay's new bone marrow is beginning to produce white cells, platelets and red cells.  I can't believe the difference in how Jay feels already.  He was able to get out of the room and walk the halls for the first time since coming to the hospital.

Day 11 - Steady as He Goes

Jay is hanging in there and things have been pretty stable today.  The main goal for now has been to keep his fever down and blood pressure up.  His fevers have been much less severe and the blood pressure drops have been manageable.  But the laundry line of hanging drippy bags just keeps getting bigger.

Day 8 - Those Unexpected Events

We got some information during the night that one of the cultures came back positive for a bacterial infection.  So we now have some idea of what is causing the fever but the extent of the spread is still being investigated.  That was not good news but was somewhat expected.  

Day 7 - Updating the Update

After a scary morning, (fever spike of 103 lots of shaking and chills) things have settled down and the fever is under control.  A fever is a common, but potentially very serious complication.  Now the search goes on to determine the cause.  It is likely from one of two possible sources.  The first is a reaction to the transplant called a Neutropenic Fever and is not generally too serious.

The other possibility is a blood infection.  This can be extremely serious and is the reason he has been hospitalized.  Even a small infection can spread quickly to the entire body with no white  blood cells to stop it.  This is referred to as Septic Shock and is often life-threatening so that is the reason for the extreme caution.

Day 7 - They Also Said There Would be Days Like This

It's amazing how fast things can turn.

Yesterday he was feeling pretty good, eating normal food and even watching a little TV.  Some time during the night things changed.  He didn't sleep and I was worried about him getting dehydrated.  By morning Jay was spiking a small fever but it had gone down by the time we got to the Huntsman.  However about an hour later the fever returned and that is an automatic admit. So he will be spending some time as an inpatient until they figure out what is going on.

This is really all a normal part of the process but we can't help but be a little discouraged.  In some ways I'm relieved to have him here where I know they can do a lot more to keep him comfortable.  

I'll post more info once we get a chance to meet with the inpatient team.

Step by step,

Lynn

Day 6 - They Said it Would Happen.....

......and today it did.

Jay's white blood cell count and neutrophils dropped to near zero.  He is now considered neutropenic and is very susceptible to infection.  So we are taking extreme precautions to prevent any contamination from attacking his defenseless immune system.  That means wearing a mask when we leave the house for the clinic or go outside.

Day 4 - Now What?

One of the things that the transplant team has told us is that everyone handles this procedure differently....that we should expect the unexpected.  That being said there are a few things we can plan on as Jay goes through the healing process.