Day +2

Today was day +2 after transplant, and thankfully I didn't have any vomiting or nausea. Thats something to be thankful for. Unfortunately a few other minor nuisances crept up. Diarhea continues to be a problem, a headache developed during the middle of the day, and I'm waiting for a doctor to come prescribe me medicine for what might be a urinary tract infection. My body isn't failing me, but these issues let me know that it is still weak at this time.

The headache is a sharp persistant pain in the top and back of my head. I was given oxycodone for it, which seemed to help but not completely alleviate the headache. I've been having trouble trying to sleep and took another dose of oxycodone to try and ease the pain enough to sleep. I think the headache is being caused by the Tacrolimus. One of its listed side effects is headache, and I haven't felt any the previous 4 days I have been on it. However the doctors let me know that my tacrolimus level is at 16, when they want it to be between 5 and 10. The elevated levels in my system are probably whats causing this. I have been off of the tacrolimus since the afternoon and won't get back on it until the morning. Hopefully the headache eases up before then.

On the home front, Kate took Isaiah to the Doctor, who suspects he has strep throat. He is now on antibiotics for that, but probably won't make it to the hospital to visit for a few days. Its hard not to see Isaiah and Kate because of that, but luckily for us one of the research nurses at NIH lent us a webcam of hers when she heard my family mention that we were looking into that. So despite having to stay at home, Isaiah and Kate were able to visit with me on the webcam a couple of times today.

Well other than what I've mentioned, there was a lot of waiting around today. My white blood counts are still dropping, making me more at risk of infection. Although the doctors seem to be pleased with the progress I'm making, so I'm still up beat.

Day +1

Today is day +1 in my transplant calendar. It feels nice to be on the positive side and moving forward. The day started out alright compared to the last few days. I was able to eat some food in the morning without throwing up or getting nauseous. That lasted all day without much going on. I received Methotrexate for the 1st time, which is an anti-cancer drug which is being used to help suppress my immune system while the new cells engraft in my body. I got this through IV and it last about 15 minutes. That was the only time I had to be hooked up to the IV pole, with just my 24 hour Tacrolimus infusion working off of the portable pump. So to kill time I spent a few hours playing RACKO with my mom, followed by a good visit from our friend Cailin. That brought me to dinner time, where I courageously ate what was in front of me and felt no problems. About a half hour later a nurse gave me my evening pills, and after a hiccup and a cough, I threw up the pills and everything I had just eaten for dinner. That was disappointing. I felt like I had gotten through the whole day without any nausea, but it got me right as the day was winding down. OH well...I felt fine after that, and welcomed a visit from Kate's cousin Sean. He wanted to dress up in the yellow coats reserved for patients with contact restrictions, but the nurses yanked the coat off of him. He brought some DVDs that will surely help to spell the boredom of a prolonged hospital stay. All around it wasn't a bad day. The doctors gave nothing but good reports on my progress, so there is nothing to worry about for the time being. Heres to a boring yet vomit free day tommorow!

Day -1

Wow...plenty of guestbook signatures today, which was great to read. Thanks for all of the support and prayers. As I type right now, I am feeling about as good as I have since I've been in the hospital. I'm showered(which doesn't happen as often as I'd like when I'm constantly connected to IVs), eating dinner(salad and hummus for those who are interested), and I don't have any pains, nausea or discomfort for the first time in a few days. I was also able to sleep fairly well last night and got in a nap this afternoon after a visit from Kate and Isaiah.

Unfortunately the day didn't start out so hot. I woke up feeling kind of nauseous, but thought things had settled down when I had some yogurt. I wasn't feeling up to eating much solid food at that point. I lay down for a bit, and when I stood up and coughed, I realized the yogurt wasn't going to stay down. So I had a pretty good fit of vomiting to start my day, but the nausea ceased after that.

Aside from the early morning things have gone well though. I've napped, which always helps time fly by, and the day has been enjoyable. I realized recently that its been a week in the hospital for me already. It has certainly felt long at times, but overall it hasn't been too bad. I'd much rather be at home with Isaiah and Kate though.

Tommorow will be the day of transplant, and I've been told it will happen sometime in the late afternoon. Since the donor is unrelated, they don't conduct the procedure at the same hospital. So the exact time is unknown while they wait for the bone marrow cells to be transported to NIH. I'm pretty excited. I'm feeling great right now, and I don't have any infections that could create complications right now. My neutrophil count is under 100 right now, so my immune system is close to gone. The drugs that are used to help engraft the new bone marrow cells are immunosuppressants, so I'll likely be at risk of infection for 7-10 days after the transplant. However, the lack of problems so far is a good sign of things to come.

Nausea and Vomiting

FRIDAY, AUGUST 08, 2008 01:47 PM, CDT
Its Friday, which probably means the end of another work week to most people, but is just another day in my life right now. The good news is that I'm awake right now and feeling good.
Yesterday morning I got hit with some nausea. Its definitely an uncomfortable feeling to wake up to, so I tried to take some anti-nausea medicine to help quell the feeling. So I head downstairs with Isaiah to get some liquid and pills in me. I get the anti-nausea medication in my system before Isaiah asks for some blueberries. While dishing out blueberries for the lil guy I realize that things aren't going to stay down in my stomach. As soon as Isaiah got his berries, it was up the stairs for me and into the bathroom. Vomiting ensued!!!
That sucked! I'm a puker...always have been and always will. Throwing up doesn't bother me. However, usually if I'm feeling sick and throw up, I feel better after that. Nausea doesn't really ease up like that. The discomfort in the chest is still there desipte the heaving. And what benefit do I get from the nausea medication now that it has been expelled from my stomach and flushed down the toilet?
Luckily I remembered this experience from last September and had asked the nurse practicioner at NIH for Lorazepam, a drug that is prescribed for anxiety but also does a hell of a good job preventing nausea. I was able to take some of the Lorazepam, and drowsiness as a side effect is an understatement. I layed flat on my stomach, cause thats the only good position with the nausea, and fell asleep for the entire day.
When I woke up my child was missing. Fortunately he is just with his grandparents, who I assume are responsible for his care. My parents stopped by while I was passed, and I remember them saying something to me. I believe I responded as well, but they might not have heard my muffled thoughts with my head buried in a pillow. Thankfully they have helped out with Isaiah, who gets easily bored when Daddy sleeps all day and can't play around.
Well...I got out of the house to get my blood drawn today, and have been awake since the morning. Unfortunately I feel like my energy is waning and its time for another nap. Feeling like I am right now, its hard to believe that I worked like this last year. Looking back on it now I'm impressed how hard I worked through that, because it certainly isn't easy.