Good Morning; Jim is ingrafted. (Bone marrow is working). His neutophil (first line white blood cells) went from 200 to 3500 in the night. The doctors are thinking that he will go home on Monday. Yea!
Jim had tremendous bone pain yesterday. But, now we know why. His bones were working overtime. He feels much better today. Pain has subsided. Mouth and throat pain is almost gone. He is still very weak.
Bren and Spencer (and our adopted son Blake) are going to a concert today in town so they dropped by this morning and dropped off Nate. Sarah will be coming in to town for a violin concert at the arts festival. Nate and I will meet her their. After, we will drop back in the hospital to spend some time with Jim.
So, now Jim just has to put his time in so he can go home. The kids and I will be getting things ready at home for Jim. Carpets are getting cleaned today. Tonight and tomorrow we will be cleaning animals and sanitizing the house. We can't wait to get him home.
Jim will have to live under a pretty sterile environment for the first 100 days. He can't be around people who are sick. If he goes outside, he has to wear a special filtration mask. He will be on a low microbial diet, which means meats have to be cooked very well and he can't eat raw fruits or vegies. He still has a very low immune system. No plants in the house. They are all outside on my porch. You will probably not see him in church or work for the first 60 days even with a mask. Lysol will be a hot commodity at our house. The kids may even have to bath even though it is summer, heaven forbid. (Ha, Ha). He will also have outpatient visits at LDS hospital 3 times a week to make sure he is doing ok. Even though there are some restrictions, they seem so minimal because we will be home and out of the cave and together. It is funny how your whole perspective changes. You could ask me what day of the week it is and todays date. I would not know, but I know it is day 12 and that is all that matters to me.
Well, that is all for now. Have a good day.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Day 10
Today is a really good day. We are definitely on the upswing now. Jim is feeling much better. Mouth and throat sores are beginning to heal. We got news today that his bone marrow is officially working. His neutrophils (first line immunity) are at 200 today. They were 0 yesterday. They like to see the count up to 500 for a couple of days before he gets to go home. So, Jim and I are hoping he gets to go home the first part of next week. Today, one of the nurses said that all of the doctors and nurses are impressed with Jim. He smiled and said "they only love me for my body." I know when he starts cracking jokes, things are looking up.
I have been told that I tend to spin this blog in a positive manner that doesn't reflect reality and thus people do not know how hard this has been. So, for the record, it is really hard. (ha, ha) But, in truth, we have tried through this whole ordeal, beginning from initial cancer diagnosis back in 2005 to approach the matter in a positive way. I learned that you cannot stay in bed and cry forever. You eventually have to get up. I read from someone, that you cannot choose the cards you have been dealt, but you can choose how you play them. We have been trying to play them the best we can. We also rely heavily on our faith and the faith of those around us to pull us through. That does not mean that we do not have nervous breakdown days like yesterday. We all get tired and we all have bad times. But, the difference is, we always pull ourselves back up and pull through.
Keep praying and keep your fingers crossed for us. Thanks!
I have been told that I tend to spin this blog in a positive manner that doesn't reflect reality and thus people do not know how hard this has been. So, for the record, it is really hard. (ha, ha) But, in truth, we have tried through this whole ordeal, beginning from initial cancer diagnosis back in 2005 to approach the matter in a positive way. I learned that you cannot stay in bed and cry forever. You eventually have to get up. I read from someone, that you cannot choose the cards you have been dealt, but you can choose how you play them. We have been trying to play them the best we can. We also rely heavily on our faith and the faith of those around us to pull us through. That does not mean that we do not have nervous breakdown days like yesterday. We all get tired and we all have bad times. But, the difference is, we always pull ourselves back up and pull through.
Keep praying and keep your fingers crossed for us. Thanks!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Day 8
Good morning,
Yesterday was a hard day for Jim. He is getting pretty frustrated and tired of this whole thing. He was put on a pain pump yesterday for his mouth and throat sores. I think it is helping. He is determined to continue to eat, but it is getting increasingly harder to swallow. He may end up having to be fed through his IV. Brendan and Sarah came for a visit. that is always a pick me up for both of us. Sarah decided to stay the night and camp out with me. Jim and I both enjoyed having her here.
Today, blood counts are still zero. Jim will be getting more platelets today. He is also still getting shots to stimulate his bone marrow. Hopefully we will see counts rising soon. Right now Sarah and Jim are playing cards on his bed. A good distraction. I will be going home today for a night and back tomorrow. I haven't been home since Saturday so I am excited. It is amazing how we take things for granted such as going home, seeing our kids and sleeping in our own beds. Being here makes me realize what a sanctuary home is. I feel so good when I get out of the cave and see the sunshine and the mountains. I hope Jim will be able to experience that joy soon.
Well, we are hanging in there. I am so proud of my kids and so grateful for all the help. Keep the prayers coming.
Yesterday was a hard day for Jim. He is getting pretty frustrated and tired of this whole thing. He was put on a pain pump yesterday for his mouth and throat sores. I think it is helping. He is determined to continue to eat, but it is getting increasingly harder to swallow. He may end up having to be fed through his IV. Brendan and Sarah came for a visit. that is always a pick me up for both of us. Sarah decided to stay the night and camp out with me. Jim and I both enjoyed having her here.
Today, blood counts are still zero. Jim will be getting more platelets today. He is also still getting shots to stimulate his bone marrow. Hopefully we will see counts rising soon. Right now Sarah and Jim are playing cards on his bed. A good distraction. I will be going home today for a night and back tomorrow. I haven't been home since Saturday so I am excited. It is amazing how we take things for granted such as going home, seeing our kids and sleeping in our own beds. Being here makes me realize what a sanctuary home is. I feel so good when I get out of the cave and see the sunshine and the mountains. I hope Jim will be able to experience that joy soon.
Well, we are hanging in there. I am so proud of my kids and so grateful for all the help. Keep the prayers coming.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Day 7
Two weeks down. Yea! Hopefully only 1 more to go.
Yesterday was an ok day for Jim. He tried to take pain medication for his mouth and throat, so he spent most of the day snowed. He doesn't enjoy that.
Today, he is probably going be put on a pca pump (patient controlled pain meds) so hopefully he will not be as snowed. The doctors tell us that usually the mouth and throat will heal when the counts start to come up. So, we wait for that. This morning he has taken his walk and is in the shower. He will need a rest after that. He is pretty weak.
Kids are very happy. Their Nanna is at the house so they are good.
Have a great day!
Yesterday was an ok day for Jim. He tried to take pain medication for his mouth and throat, so he spent most of the day snowed. He doesn't enjoy that.
Today, he is probably going be put on a pca pump (patient controlled pain meds) so hopefully he will not be as snowed. The doctors tell us that usually the mouth and throat will heal when the counts start to come up. So, we wait for that. This morning he has taken his walk and is in the shower. He will need a rest after that. He is pretty weak.
Kids are very happy. Their Nanna is at the house so they are good.
Have a great day!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Day 6
Yesterday was a better day for Jim. The pain medication really helped his mouth and stomach pain. He even got in 2 hall walks yesterday. We read conference talks from the Ensign. The best medicine however was when the kids came after dinner. He felt wonderful. Sarah and Maddie put on a private violin show for Jim and then went out into the pod and put one on for the other patients. Most of the patients listened from their rooms. One patient sent out a stuffed dog for the girls because he loved the music so much. Music is so calming for the soul. Jim did not want the kids to leave. He felt so good. They each took turns laying with their Dad. They ended up staying until 10:00 PM. It had been a week since he had seen them so he really missed them.
Today, he is pretty snowed right now from the pain medication. His blood counts are still dropping. He will be getting platelets today since he really doesnt't have any. He will also be getting a white blood count stimulater that will hopefully get his bone marrow going. Usually counts don't start going up until about day 11.
Hopefully he has another decent day today. Have a great day.
Today, he is pretty snowed right now from the pain medication. His blood counts are still dropping. He will be getting platelets today since he really doesnt't have any. He will also be getting a white blood count stimulater that will hopefully get his bone marrow going. Usually counts don't start going up until about day 11.
Hopefully he has another decent day today. Have a great day.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Day 5
Yesterday, Jim had another " trying to pass the day away" day. I got back to the hospital in the afternoon. I was told he was pretty "blaw" all day. He has things to do, he just doesn't feel like doing them. His mouth and belly are still sore and his counts are still coming down. His doctors are saying he will probably need some blood products tomorrow. His platelets are really low, so we have to be really careful about bleeding. He can't even blow his nose so he doesn't start a nose bleed. He has not had any fevers or infections though so in the big picture he is doing really well.
Today, he woke a little feisty. I would rather see him that way though then just laying there like yesterday. The kitchen for some reason only brought him a fruit cup and juice for breakfast. He wasn't too happy about that. He said what he really wanted was french toast and bacon, so they brought him up some and he ate really well. He has also decided that maybe he had better take some pain medication for the mouth and stomach pain. So, hopefully that will help. He made himself walk a little in the hall and the LDS Hospital branch brought us the sacrament. Right now he is resting in the lazy boy and getting some strength before he showers. It takes all of his strength just to take a short walk down the hall and shower. After that he usually has to take a nap.
Today, the kids are going to come up after church. He is really looking forward to that. The bone marrow wing is abuzz today because there are rumors of a violin concert. Sarah and her great friend Maddie (aka, our blond daughter) are going to come and do a little violin concert. We asked our nurse if it was OK and now everyone I see here is asking me about it. That should be a great pick me up.
As always, thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
Today, he woke a little feisty. I would rather see him that way though then just laying there like yesterday. The kitchen for some reason only brought him a fruit cup and juice for breakfast. He wasn't too happy about that. He said what he really wanted was french toast and bacon, so they brought him up some and he ate really well. He has also decided that maybe he had better take some pain medication for the mouth and stomach pain. So, hopefully that will help. He made himself walk a little in the hall and the LDS Hospital branch brought us the sacrament. Right now he is resting in the lazy boy and getting some strength before he showers. It takes all of his strength just to take a short walk down the hall and shower. After that he usually has to take a nap.
Today, the kids are going to come up after church. He is really looking forward to that. The bone marrow wing is abuzz today because there are rumors of a violin concert. Sarah and her great friend Maddie (aka, our blond daughter) are going to come and do a little violin concert. We asked our nurse if it was OK and now everyone I see here is asking me about it. That should be a great pick me up.
As always, thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
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