Mon,
25 Aug 2003
Time
Off
Hey everybody....it's
us again. We were taking time off since things had
slowed down and there wasn't much to update about
and then Tues of last week I threw my back out and
wasn't doing anything for the next four to five days.
Poor Jade went from patient to caregiver in a nano-second.
We looked utterly pathetic walking into the DRs office
with Jade wearing his mask and bald and me barely
walking, nauseous and trying to not cry from pain
with every footstep. I think everyone who saw us felt
a little bit better about their own respective lives
that morning. Thanks to some Soma, mega doses of Ibuprofen,
Lortab and some physical therapy (and many prayers
- - mostly from Jade) I am feeling amazingly better
one week later. Back to being normal but more aware
of the ongoing needs of my back. So, here's a much
anticipated update:
Jade has been going in for check-ups about every ten
days. His counts continue to hold at acceptable levels.
For the regular population he would be considered
just below normal but for his condition he's doing
great. He's still fairly isolated but we are going
on walks and he has masked up and gone to the store
a couple times.
We'll continue to live this wonderfully "normal"
life for another ten days until he get the radiation
and Jared's stem cells on the 5th. The DRs are telling
us the next four to six weeks after that (the remainder
of Sept and first couple weeks of Oct) will be fairly
"boring" but after that the graft vs. host
disease will show and we'll see if it's mild, moderate
or severe. Jade will be on a number of drugs/medications
during the first month post-transplant, one of which
is an immune suppression drug. Jade will probably
have a compromised immune system for many months to
come.
However, he is feeling relatively good - all things
considered. Fatigue is the major issue but he's doing
great. On the phone he sounds great and the couple
people who have seen him comment on how fantastic
he looks - his eyes, his skin and coloring and general
attitude.
We are encouraged that he is going into this next
phase as healthy and strong as possible. Even if there
are problems or complications, he has a lot of energy
and strength in reserves to fight with. Thanks for
the phone calls, emails, and cards. We are grateful
for the faith, friendship and encouragement you offer.
Take care and we'll keep you posted...........
Much love..............Tanya and co.
