Wed, 03 Sep 2003

Ready, Set, Go

Hey there. We're hanging in there and doing ok. Just getting ready for Friday.

Jade and I went to a BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) appt today and had a regular check-up and reviewed the procedures for this Friday and the coming 28 days. Jade was given 8 new prescriptions which he will be starting today and tomorrow and continue for a minimum of one month. A couple are immune-suppression drugs, an anti-fungal drug, and other miscellaneous things. Friday he will go in for quick blood draw to check his counts and then go to have the radiation at noon. Jared is being harvested tmrw (Thurs) and Fri. Jared will be harvested at LDS in the morning on Fri while Jade is getting the radiation. Jared's stem cells will be sent to the U of U lab to be reviewed and back down to LDS where Jade should be getting them around 6 pm. (Jared started his neupogen shots - which helps his white cells reproduce rapidly - on Monday and will continue them until Fri morning.)

Starting this Sat there are strict guidelines for us to follow. Jade will have a compromised immune system and is at such risk we have to always stay within 30 minutes of LDS hospital. He is to have someone with him 24 hours a day in case he gets a fever of 101 - - we need to go to the LDS BM unit immediately. Jade will have a BMT appt three times a week for the next month.

Overall Jade is coping very well. He is mentally more active than the previous few months. His energy and stamina is coming back slower. We're hoping the radiation doesn't wipe him out too much compared to the chemo he's had. He is starting to get some hairs returning (teeny teeny eyelashes/eyebrows and a few budding whiskers.) I think we're ready to get going on this next and hopefully last phase of the transplant.

Thanks for your continued love and support. We're very grateful and blessed to have great friends, neighbors and family members. We'll keep you posted..........Take care.............

Much love....................Tanya and co.
Love...........Tanya and co.