Stem Cell Transplant, Day + 10 weeks, 2 days

Sorry that it's been a while since the last update, but there's very little new to report. We're still in the hospital and Denise is still being treated for various GI viruses which may be showing some slow improvement. The spinal rituxan brought a quick response to the Epstein-Barr virus that showed up again in her spinal fluid; the spinal fluid sample last Friday was negative, but they will likely give two more injections for good measure. Meanwhile, the longer she's in the hospital (finishing week #11) the more things pop up like muscle spasms and skin problems from inactivity and long periods in bed. No light at the end of the tunnel yet.

Tomorrow I'll out-process from my Air Force civil service job at US Northern Command and effective Sunday, November 1 I'll be an old retired guy.

Jim

Stem Cell Transplant, D+Several Weeks

Jim again. Several of you have asked about Denise so here's an update post. We're still in the hospital five weeks or so after the last post in which I hoped we'd be gone in a week or so. Basically, it just takes a long time for one's GI tract to recover from the harsh chemo Denise received to prep for the transplant. She has very slowly improved with increased capacity for eating normally and reduced diarrhea and abdominal cramping, but that's been an up and down process. Right now, she's having a bit of a setback with a resumption of pain and diarrhea and will have a colonoscopy tomorrow to find out why. On the plus side, her transplant is solid, with strong blood cell counts except for platelets which are still low. This is getting kind of old.

Stem Cell Transplant, Day+15

After some ups and downs the past few days that required another stint in ICU, I think we can cautiously say that Denise is on the road to recovery now. Her counts are good, all the various tubes are out, and she's talking and even smiling again. She's still getting lots of IV meds, principally antibiotics for the infections, but hopefully she'll be able to start back on a liquid diet tomorrow and more robust food soon after. Hopefully, we'll be able to leave the hospital for our apartment within the next week or so.

Stem Cell Transplant, Day+9

Monday night, after I posted the last entry, Denise spiked a high fever (103+) and had so much fluid build up that she could scarcely breathe. Tuesday, they moved her down to ICU where she could get more comprehensive monitoring and multi-specialty treatment. Labs showed enzyme markers for a potentially serious liver disease. Tuesday and Wednesday she was very sick, but there are a lot of indications today that Denise has turned a corner. Her temperature was near normal all day, she was much more alert and communicative, the enzyme (bilirubin) for liver disease dipped a little, and her white cells have risen from 0.0 to 0.8 (800 white cells per cubic millimeter)*. The doctors from all the various specialties that have trooped by ICU are all encouraging and happy with the direction of her treatment. This is not to say that there may not still be some ups and downs ahead or that she's entirely out of danger but we're cautiously optimistic for the first time in several days. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers; keep them up!

Stem Celll Transplant, Day+6

Denise has had a rough go since the transplant. Chemo has put stress on most of her major organs and systems and she's in a lot of pain, especially in her abdomen. The doctors are managing her symptoms, and while she's currently stable, some of her issues could potentially become very serious complications. Please pray for protection and for her immune system to come back on line sooner rather than later.

Stem Cell Transplant, Day+3

Denise is pretty sick as described below, and it could get worse before it gets better. The chemo had a much harsher effect than we expected, especially to her gastrointestinal tract. I won't go into the anatomical details; suffice it to say that she's in a lot of pain and discomfort. Still, the doctors say that what she's experiencing is "normal" albeit on the rougher side of normal. They will continue to treat the symptoms, but don't expect significant improvement until her counts start rebounding, which could be another week or more. Not sure I'll be able to update her blog as regularly but will try to every few days.

Stem Cell Transplant, Day-0 (Both Days)

Jim here again for Denise. Denise received half of her stem cells yesterday about 11:00 a.m. and the other half today about the same time. Everything went very well yesterday until late afternoon when she had some nausea and her esophagus became very irritated as a delayed reaction to the chemo. She was up much of the night with the continuing diarrhea (which turns out to be a nasty gastrointestinal bug that is commonly picked up in hospitals of all places). And she ran a fever for several hours of up to 101.5. Then during the transplant this morning, she appeared to be having a reaction to the preservative for the stem cells, exhibiting some chest pain. They immediately ran an EKG and her heart looks OK but they're watching her closely. So they have her on some pretty strong pain meds and antibiotics, and by this evening she is resting more comfortably. The docs assure us that these are fairly normal responses to the stem cell transplant process but they'll stay on top of them. Meanwhile they will try to keep her as comfortable as possible. Nobody said this would be easy.