DAY - 98

Jan continues to show evidence of a fungal infection, so she has been receiving an I.V. anti-fungal (micafungin) once a day for the past five days and will need to continue this treatment for at least the next five days. Today she complained of some pain and swelling in her throat that was affecting her swallowing and breathing, so a CT Scan and MRI were ordered. The CT Scan showed that one of her implanted catheters had migrated into an area that may be the cause of her discomfort. As a result, her scheduled Thursday surgery to remove the triple Hickman catheter, and replacement of her double port, may be moved to tomorrow.

Her kidney function tests, specifically her creatinine level, have improved slightly and are nearing acceptable levels. We also learned today that her bone marrow biopsy, which was taken last Monday, was negative. We were relieved to get the good news. The week following these biopsies, while waiting for the results, is always very difficult.

Even though we are approaching the magic "100 Days", Jan is not quite ready to be released to go back home just yet. We will meet with her doctor next week when he returns from his two-week Mediterranean cruise. Aside from the fungal infection, which really is not displaying any symptoms, Jan is feeling pretty good. She continues to get stronger each day, but it's a very gradual progression.

We would like to thank everyone for their many thoughts, prayers, emails, and words of inspiration. We know we owe many of you a personal note or phone call, and we will do that when things calm down and life returns to a normal pace. It seems like we have spent 6-8 hours every day for the past many weeks at the Clinic, or in the hospital, dealing with a variety of issues (E-Coli infection, catheter infection, BK virus, dehydration and kidney function issues, compression fractures and surgery, and a host of diagnostic tests). As I have mentioned in the past, none of the of problems that I've just mentioned necessarily mean that the Bone Marrow Transplant has not been a success. On the contrary, all of the tests suggest that it is going well. We have spoken to many other patients and BMT recipients, and they all share similar stories. Nobody gets through this process unscathed. It's just a long, hard road; but we know we are a lot closer to our destination.