Monday, December 17, 2007
Update # 119
One Year plus 5 days
Good Evening,
An early Merry Christmas to all. Last year at this time, we were watching Jeff begin the ups and downs of a bone marrow transplant. This year, we daily give thanks to God for continuing to bless Jeff's health. It's been two months since the last update and Jeff gains strength each day.
Jeff drove down this last Saturday during a winter snow storm which extended his drive time from six hours to 10 hours. After sliding a couple of times, he made it here safely.
Yesterday afternoon we drove to StL to enjoy an evening performance of "Wicked" at The Fox. We then stayed in town at the hotel connected to Barnes so our morning trip to Jeff's appointment was just minutes.
It had been four months since Dr. DiPersio had last seen Jeff. He was pleased with how Jeff is doing. The graft vs. host is still present but only causes Jeff some annoyance. We had originally thought Dr. DiPersio would discontinue a couple of meds at this appointment but he feels Jeff needs to keep most meds at their same dosage. Jeff has not had trouble with his feet but his hands and legs will cramp at various times so Dr. DiPersio doubled the dosage of that one particular medicine. Jeff went from an extremely low dose to a low dose so it's still good.
They had trouble getting a blood draw this morning from Jeff's port so things got off to a slow start. A medicine had to clear the line so time got backed up for the whole morning. When we finally received the blood counts, everything looked good. And no, that red count is still not in the normal range. It just sits almost there but they are pleased. And yes, Dr. DiPersio said Jeff's blood type has changed since the red count has been stable for months. They are running a lot of blood tests at this one-year post-transplant time and some will not be back for several days.
The next part of the day was the one-year bone marrow biopsy. Again, things initially looked good but it will take a week to get the results and with Christmas, it might be a little longer.
While Jeff was still drowsy from the biopsy, his immunizations for this "new" life began. Jeff received 5 shots today and will need 4 more in February. He will probably have those done in Iowa. At his two-year post transplant date, more immunizations will be given.
Finally, Jeff's testing ended early afternoon with a bone density scan. That result will also take a week and could be longer with Christmas.
One other very important part of this day -- we were able to begin the official request to meet Jeff's donor. We had to wait one year from transplant and that was Dec. 12th. It's quite a lengthy 8-step process and we have no idea how long it could take. The ultimate decision is up to the donor. We pray this wonderful gentleman is willing to meet Jeff and receive our thanks in person in 2008.
Jeff will return to his home in Waterloo on Wednesday. He's not too eager to sit on his hip for six hours after the biopsy! He continues to work part-time at the station but they kept him busy over the Thanksgiving holiday and will probably do the same at Christmas.
We plan to drive to Jeff's on Christmas Day and return to IL on the 29th. Jeff has an eye appointment down in Iowa City on the 27th. Since several blood tests, the biopsy and bone density scan results will not be back for a week, I will not update again until the 27th. Hopefully, we'll know everything by then. Jeff's next appointment in StL is another four months in April 2008.
How could we have gotten to this one-year point without you? We continue to give thanks to God for each one of you. And we pray God will bless you during this Christmas season. Christmas hugs to you from us!
love,
Marcia