Stem Cell Transplant
It is snowing in Little Rock today. Arkansas drivers are just as bizarre as those in Texas when it comes to white precipitation. Don is asleep on the couch with the dogs and isn't up to talking, much less responding to emails. He had high dose chemotherapy (melphalan) on Tuesday morning in preparation for the stem cell transplant on Wednesday. The melphalan clears the body in 18 hrs, so they give the stem cells exactly 24 hrs from the chemotherapy. In addition to the antiviral, antibiotic and antifungal meds he was on before, he took 40 mg of Dexamethasone for the past 4 days. Overall, the chemotherapy and stem cell infusion went without a hitch. The major side effect so far has been lack of appetite and hiccups, which he had with the dex in the last round of chemo. As I understand it, the most serious side effect of the melphalan is stomatitis (mouth sores). He chewed ice prior to, during and after the infusion to cut down on that.
Don is very fatigued and told me he felt like his "body is falling apart". We were told to expect his counts to start to drop on Sunday (5 days), with a nadir around 8 days. At that time, they will start growth factor again. They look for the stem cells to "take" somewhere around day 10. That is when he will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We go to the transplant unit every day. The past two days, they have given him an infusion of IgG, since that titre has been low. So far, his hemoglobin is holding around 10.5.
In the meantime, we just watch and wait and try to keep him comfortable and hydrated. His spirits have been good, considering everything he is going through. We still try to watch the "Stooges hour" in the morning and catch the Daily show and Colbert Report in the evening. The dogs keep us entertained, as well. Thank you all for your emails and calls. They really lift his spirits. I know you will miss all of those forwards over the next few days!!
As Don would say, "It's all bueno" in Little Rock. I know Es todo bueno con el Dios.
3 Comments:
Hello Don and Mary Jo. Just wanted to let you know that your friends at MCL are thinking of you and praying for your speedy recovery through this process. You are an inspiration to us all. God bless you and your family. Lesley Beard
Hey Don and Mary Jo,
Wanted to see how everything was going. Well I hope. We miss ya'll and you both are in our prayers. Hang in there. Hope to see you soon
Love,
Kasey
Don and Mary Jo,
I wanted to say hello and let you know that we are thinking of you. You are constantly on our minds and we find joy in telling Don stories. Thank you for this blog. It's so good to keep in touch!
Karla
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