YEA...Harvesting????

The other day I got a daily devotional on line that started out..."The Harvest is Plentiful!"....hehe. Funny, we hear that term alot around here. It is the term all stem cell transplant patients and their family LOVE to hear. It means your blood is ready and your stem cells have come out and its time to start your harvesting. Something all patients in this situation look forward to. I thought after reading that devotional that God was trying to tell us something. IS IT TIME????? I had been praying for it. The other night Don woke up to really bad bone pain, a sign your stem cells are coming out. It was a very uncomfortable, but happy pain. Sure enough after his blood test yesterday they told us its time to test his stem cells. Today he has that test and hopefully will start his harvest today. Not all people harvest the same...it depends on your body. We met a man recently who had to harvest for eight straight days! They want 10 million cells. He was only able to give them eight million. We pray Don will be one of the unusual ones and can give all 10 million and in just a couple days. As we always said, the sooner we start, the sooner we are finished!!
Pray all goes well for him please.
Blessings,
Don and Kathi

Same ole thing!!

Not much to update with right now. We seem to be in an endless time of blood checks and blood transfusions. Don had his checkup today and we find out now he needs platlets. He will be recieving them tonight. We have met so many people also having stem cell transplants here, and we can all compare notes. Some harvest soon, some dont. I am afraid we might be in the not ready very soon. It just takes time, and around here you spend alot of time, just sitting and waiting. Hours at a time in waiting rooms. Lots of time to read books, work puzzles and watch t.v.
We found out today that Don's Mom will be having back surgery. It has become too difficult for her to get around. We are so sorry we can't be there for her, but as I was told just today, we were told in the beginning of this thing, that we couldn't ever be more than fifteen minutes of the hospital during the entire process. I had hoped to talk them into letting us have a break and come home for the weekend, but I was told no. God knows what is best.
We will not be updating now until more info is giving to us, but will let you all know when we know!
Love and Blessings,
Don and Kathi

Guess I need to update...sorry..LOL

OOOPS....had some people ask for an update. This week Don had a couple days off without a hospital visit. He wasn't feeling well, the chemo had taken all his energy. He said..."Someone stole my giddy up!" Hehe. Poor guy spent his two days off sleeping most of the time. It rained constantly the entire two days, so as he slept I spent the day on the computer playing cards, or watching t.v. Today, Friday, we had to go in for blood test. His counts are all way down. He had to have another blood transfusion. He always feel's so much better afterwards.
We went out to eat tonight with my cousin Sharon and her husband James. Saltgrass Steak House, one of Don's favorite places. It was soooo good. And so good to get out for awhile.
Tomorrow Don's friend Mel and his wife Felicia are coming for a visit!! We are going to site see and go out to eat again!! Nice seeing family and friends. We still miss everyone at home though. Next weekend is our grand daughter, Crislyn's, birthday. We have never missed a birthday for our girl's, this will be a first, and hopefully the last time we miss one.
Thanks so much to all of you who are keeping up with Don's blog. He really enjoys reading all your comments and encouragment.
Much love to all,
Don and Kathi

Back home in our hotel now.

I got to bring Don home to our hotel today, for a little while anyway. He is not feeling well today. I guess it is side effects from his chemo. He is experiencing alot of muscle pain in his back, shoulders, and neck. He is also very very exhausted. He is in bed already, and it is only 8:30 p.m. Tomorrow we have more appointments, blood work, doctor visit, my demostration test on what I learned...yuk!! Sure hope I pass this thing.
When you get a day off here, you still dont get a day off. They have you returning to the hospital every day. And they almost always make your appointments early in the morning so there is no sleeping in either. I sure hope Don can get some rest tonight. They sent him home with a i.v. drip in a portable backpack. It must be hard to sleep with his "buddy" on the pillow next to him.
We spoke to our daughter and grand daughter tonight, it was so good hearing their voices, but always makes us so lonely for them. It has only been a week, but seems much much longer to us. We are missing everyone so much. I met a lady today who has been here since January!! Makes me feel silly for being so homesick already. I know it must be so hard for her. Lots of people here to pray for. God is doing alot of work around here. I am gonna try and get some sleep now.
Nite everyone.
Kathi

Chemo has started.

Yesterday Don had his CVC line put in and he was really sore afterwards. They removed his port, and there was too much scar tissue to put the CVC line in the same area. Thus he had to have it put in the other side of his chest. He had two very sore area's! They later admitted him to start his first chemo here. The chemo will be the same as he had at home to start. So he is tolerating it very well. He was joking with all the nurses alot today, so you know he is feeling good...LOL.
Today they send me to school! I had to learn to take care of his Central Venous Catheter. The class was an hour and a half long, and I have to repeat it again. No not because I failed it...Ha. Everyone gets to do it twice and then a nurse makes you show her what you learned. Not my cup of tea folks, I am not a good nurse, so you all pray for me.
Don will have chemo until Sunday afternoon and then they are gonna cut him loose for awhile. He will return to the hotel with me and be outpatient a few days. He will go in for a blood test daily until they say his stem cell count is up enough for him to return to start his harvest.
It has been raining here all day. The outer rims of Hurricane Alex. Not really bad here though, just a steady rain. Today before my class started I had lunch downstairs and heard a young man playing guitar and singing in the lobby. It sure was nice for a few minutes to just relax, watch the rain outside and hear him sing. The whole atmoshpere here is so different than any other hospital I have ever been in. It gave me some time quiet time with the Lord. I feel Him close to me alot. Must be all those precious prayers that we know are being lifted up for us.
Thanks to all our family and friends for those prayers.
Love all of you,
Don and Kathi

Day 2.....58 to go!!

Today Don and I saw the doctor. I was concerned he might send us home because of my cold...but he said I was doing everything I was suppose to. Just keep wearing my mask and washing my hands. So we are still a go!! Tomorrow Don will have his CVC line put in and his port removed at 11 oclock. After he leaves recovery we will return to our hotel room and pack, he will be admitted to the hospital tomorrow night for a three day stay for his first chemo here at MDA. He will be recieving two of the three same chemo drugs he had at home. He will be recieving Ifosphamide (I) and Etoposide (E). At home we recieved (C) Carboplatin ....thus the nickname ICE. Now without the C Don says he wont be recieving ICE but IEEEEEEE.....sounds cajun to me..LOL. You can see he still has his sense of humor. His spirits are still up.
After his first chemo he will be outpatient for a few days and give his self Neupogen shots to bring out the stem cells in his blood. When his blood is ready they will let us know and he will begin harvesting. This process is long and drawn out. Now we know we will probably be here for the entire two months. One step at a time. And that is how we take it...just one day at a time. Please pray Don does well on his chemo this week, and has few if any side effects. He tolerated this regiment of chemo drugs well at home, but we are told when the week comes to kill off the remaining stem cells after harvest, the regiment will be much worse and of a different kind. But for now, he is doing well.
I will be updating his blog either tomorrow or Thursday and keep you posted. I pray I will have good news then and be saying he is doing well.
Blessings to All,
Don and Kathi

Day 1 ....59 more to go!

Today was our first day of our long stay for Don's transplant. We spent most of the day testing and walking all over this hospital. Tomorrow we see the doctor and I pray he won't send us home because of my cold. He should tell us more about what we do next. We know Wed. Don has his Central Venus Catheter put in. They will be removing the port he has put in now. They said they could not do the transplant from his port. Tonight we are settled into our hotel room. It is not home, but it will do for awhile. We are gonna try and find us a place to eat tonight and buy some groceries. This room reminds me of when Don and I first got married. Small kitchen without much room, so food has to go on top of the refrigerator....hehe. But we made it home then, and we will make this home now. Missing everyone at our real home already...don't forget us!! To our Sunday School class....save our seats! We aren't gone forever.
Love ya all,
Don and Kathi