Brief Hospital Update

Today I have been in Stanford Hospital for 10 days. The picture is of the view out my window, I am now plus 4 days beyond my bone marrow/stem cell transplant. This is where the real tough part of the process really kicks in. My immune system and blood numbers are pretty much decimated. I had to get a blood transfusion last night. I am pretty tired all the time. The worst pain is in my mouth and throat making it difficult to eat. They are giving me some good pain meds which makes things tolerable. They are also giving me Lasix to try and get my body to quit retaining so much water. So right now, my life is getting my vitals taken, sleeping, peeing and answering questions about how I am feeling.

But things are going well. Everything above was expected and part of the process. The doctor’s are actually greatly encouraged by my progress. They tell me to hang in there another 2-4 days and things will start getting better. I will begin the neupogen shots on transplant day +6 and then my blood counts should begin the process of moving back up toward normal. Joyce is back with me which has been my tremendous encouragement for today. I also had visits with the Sawyers and Cotes which were very encouraging. Everything is going according to plan and the doctors have been quite positive with me, although they are quite honest about the difficulty of the process.

My main prayer request is that this would work and I would come out the process “Cancer-free” six months from now. Also please pray for Joyce and I as we grit it out through the process. Knowing that people are praying is a huge factor in keeping us positive and moving forward. Thank you for your prayers and support.