Feeling Bad

Today has been a tough one. Dave has the beginning of mucositis. Although his mouth isn't too bad, his throat is horribly sore and it is hard for him to swallow. He had an appointment today with the doctor following his lab draw. They transfused platelets and increased his hydration as he was somewhat dehydrated. Possibly tomorrow he will be admitted back into the hospital for inpatient care. That actually isn't a bad thing as they will be able to control his nutrition, pain-relief and hydration. It has been great having Orland and Jan here and both Dave and I have enjoyed their company and their kindness. We hate to see them go in the morning.

Discharged!!

Dave is doing really well and he was actually discharged back to the hotel. He is having some mucositis, which is expected, and we are treating that. If it gets too severe where he can't eat or drink, he will be admitted back to the hospital for nutrition and hydration. He still will be hydrated as an outpatient using the CADD pump. We have to be very concerned about his immune system, so we are careful about hand sanitizer and hand-washing. I actually have to spray down counter tops, cooking surfaces, etc. with a bleach and water solution. Food preparation is really important, and I attended a class on that subject. Lot's to learn! Dave's brother, Craig, and his wife, Maureen, arrived today from Arizona and it is great having them here. Everyone is pretty tired as it's been an exciting last few days so it's early to bed.

Happy Re-Birth!!!

What a day!!! Dave did great receiving his stem cells - there were 7 bags, a total of 7 million stem cells! They told us to expect it to smell like garlic in the room; however, it actually smelled of creamed corn!!! YUCK!! (unless, of course, you like creamed corn)! Dave got through it fine, although got somewhat nauseated, but was able to control that with the help of Ativan and Benadryl. He was quite "out of it" after all the meds, but was aware of what was going on. The whole procedure took about 1 hr. 15 min. Now, all we do is wait and pray for success. He has developed some mouth sores, but we are praying that they do not get severe. He is receiving a drug called Palifermen to lessen the mucositis. Our friends, Jan and Orland Leland, arrived this evening from Kalispell and we are both so excited to see them. It really brightened Dave's day having friends to visit with as I think he is tired of visiting with only me! Let's continue to pray for Dave's recovery and strength both physically and emotionally. Love to All!

Doing Good

Boy, Dave is just doing great so far. He has felt well enough to eat, although not a lot. He's lost 6 lbs., but that's not uncommon. He's a little wobbly when he walks, but that too is expected. Tomorrow morning at 11:30 they will give him back his stem cells. We are really excited about that. I do have to bring some mints or something for him to suck on when he receives the cells as I guess it smells like garlic in the room, and Dave will have that taste in his mouth. YUCK! Let's pray for success and a remission! Thank you!

End of Chemo

Today was pretty uneventful and Dave did well with his chemo, although it does have a delayed reaction as far as side-effects, so he will be monitored closely at the hospital. Tomorrow will be a day of rest and Thursday the actual stem cell transplant. Transplanting the stem cells is a lot like dialysis, and is a painless procedure. The stem cells are introduced through his Hickman catheter similar to the the procedure of harvesting them. He is already tired of being in the hospital, and keeping his mind focused on other things is pretty challenging. It helped though having "The Godfather" (all 3 episodes) on t.v. I still don't understand how someone can watch the same movie over and over, but oh, well, anything that helps! I have been able to go back and forth to the hospital throughout the day by taking the SCCA shuttle. The ride is about 10 minutes one way, so it gives me a little time to "regroup". Ripley is doing great and is getting spoiled by the hotel staff; they are just awesome. We couldn't be in a nicer place, and the beds are the best!

Comfortable Day

Dave had a good day without any real problems and no sciatic nerve pain! I don't know if I mentioned it before, but he has been suffering from some sciatic pain ever since his bone marrow biopsy. I believe this was exacerbated by positioning during his TBI. All tests for a bacterial infection, which could have been the cause of the fever he experienced yesterday, were negative. Today, he was fever-free and actually had a good day. He tried eating some of the hospital food, but really wasn't too interested. He says everything is just too bland! Of course, I ate what he didn't (this is becoming a problem)!!! I think the weight he loses, I gain! Tomorrow is going to be another hard day - he will be having his last blast of chemo (Cytoxin) before his stem cell transplant on Thursday. We know he will be pretty sick from it, but he is willing to try anything to get his lymphoma in remission. He just wants to get back to Whitefish and go back to work! He is really missing the fire department and all his friends and family. Please say an extra prayer for him tomorrow -

He's In the Hospital

Dave had his VP16 chemo this afternoon at the SCCA. It's a tough chemo and made him quite sick. He developed a fever so the hotel shuttle took us to the Univ. of Washington Hospital. His chest x-ray was clear and so was his urinalysis. They took blood cultures, but we don't have the results yet. The oncologist said that sometimes if the cancer is dying it can break off and cause fevers, which can be a good sign. When I left him, he was drinking lots of water and giving his nurse a hard time. I'll let you know more as soon as I do.