T Plus 29

Hooray........we're out of the hospital. Jan was given her discharge orders last Thursday. This picture was taken as she left the hospital after her one month stay. The biopsy reports have not yet returned to confirm GVHD (Graft Versus Host Disease), but the consensus is that she does have a mild case of it. This is expected in 30-70% of all bone marrow transplants. The doctors were quick to start Jan on steroids last week, which is the counter-measure for GVHD. All of Jan's blood work is excellent. Her white count is sky high, hemoglobin near normal, and Platelets are above 200k. The doctors all smile when discussing her hematology. Jan is still experiencing some painful hiccups, which aggravate her hiatal hernia. We have been given a new medication to try, so we're hoping she'll get some relief. She remains a bit depressed by the fact that foods have no taste. We sample all of her favorites, but so far only one or two items have any taste at all. As a result, her appetite is not great. This was also a temporary side effect of the chemo which she had back in Oct/Nov. It last a few weeks back then, but did eventually return to normal. Since discharge last Thursday evening, we have moved into our nearby apartment. It's actually very nice, and only minutes from the hospital. It's a two bedroom unit with twin beds in each bedroom. It has a washer/dryer and is completely furnished. It's really very comfortable. We were able to bring our DVR and wireless Internet from our home, and get it attached and working.

Jan is currently very fatigued. She can only walk for minutes at a time, and then needs to rest. This is expected, and we are told it will actually take months for her to resume normal activities. The steroids that she was given to counteract the GVHD have a side effect of causing "steroid induced diabetes", so we have to check her blood four times daily and administer insulin each time. This should only be temporary and disappear when the steroids are reduced, and then eventually discontinued. This past week we had to make daily visits to the Moffitt Clinic for blood tests, x-rays, and doctor's visits. On our visit last Friday it was mentioned that one of Jan's lung x-rays was suspicious. That, coupled with the fact that she had a slight cough and painful urination, let to more tests. They conducted a CT Scan, and culture swabs of the throat. Pending the results, she was placed in respiratory isolation, had to wear a mask at all times, and was not allowed to mingle with the other patients. Yesterday we learned that all those tests were negative, so she has returned to a "normal" patient status. She continues to take more than twenty medications daily, and the management of all those pills and capsules is somewhat daunting. The days ahead will consist of frequent clinic visits, frequent modification of her medication, and hopefully improvement in her strength and endurance.