100 DAYS - February 8

In the coming weeks you will see references made to “100 DAYS”. The one hundred days are an approximation of the number of days from the day of transplant to the day when Jan may be permitted to return home. Day of transplant is referred to as Day-0. All days leading up to the day of transplant are minus days, and those following the day of transplant are referred to as plus days. Currently, the tentative date for Jan to receive her bone marrow transplant is March 4th. Thus, today is Day minus twenty-five (-25). Likewise, the day following the transplant will be referred to as Day plus one (+1). This is the reference method that they will use in the hospital, so we will use the same system in our blog updates.

The past week has included two days of testing, both physical and psychological. Last Thursday and Friday included lab tests, EKG, Muga heart scan, pulmonary function tests, a psychological profile and memory test, and another bone marrow biopsy. This week included a CT-scan and more lab work. Next week Jan will have a mid-week lab test as we head toward Monday, February 18th. On that date Jan’s brother Pack will be tested, evaluated, and meet with the doctor. On the same day Jan will also have a meeting with the doctor to review the test results. Barring any complications, we expect that the March 4th transplant date will be finalized with a hospital admission the week before on February 27th. The anticipation is pretty intense. On the one hand, we want to move quickly to get this over with; but on the other hand, the fear and anxiety have us wishing for the clock to slow down. So, for now, we continue to watch the clock……….