Day 10 Afternoon

Adele is up and working at getting a shower. Here she is smiling with "Faith", her IV Pumps on the pole. She has 3 IV tubes running into her 2 ports on her hickman port. One of the IV tubes is from a morphine pump that she has not had to use since they put it on "Faith".

We had a relaxing day and I will be leaving in about 3 hours for Debbie C's and supper.

Thanks again - Rick

Day 10 after Transplant

I walked into Adele's room about 9:15 this morning and found a very exhausted woman. She has had a very bad night - a fever during the night - still too much pain while moving her bowels - and more weakness than up to now.

First off they plan on having her chest X-ray done to check her - ?? because of the fever. Next they have ordered a morphine pump, so she will control when and how much she needs. Last night they gave her 1 mg shot and then 2 mg more. She said the 3 mg took care of most, but not all, of the pain.

I helped her change her pajamas to a fresh pair and new underwear. She is having much trouble even getting standing - she is so weak. I helped her stand, and put her in the (kind of like) lazyboy chair so they can clean her room. I left to do this blog while they clean the room and she reads a bit. This morning she is just happy to have me here and hear my voice next to her. Do not call her until I see improvement here. She cannot get to the phone anyway.

I put away the wash I did for her, the toilet paper I brought and other supplies. She is also happy to see the white count start to rise. The 8PM blood test last night showed a WBC of 60 - a good increase from the <50 (basically no WBC) the past two days. The stem cells and meds are starting to work?

Pray for strength - in Body - Mind - Soul she needs the prayers in all 3.

Thanks to all - Rick

Day 9 Afternoon

Adele has been resting almost the entire day. She is getting morphine, finally when she needs it most, after a bathroom visit instead of a scheduled dose. That might allow her to get less and have more relief from the pain.

I will stay until 6 or so and then go shopping at Safeway for needed items. Then back to Debbie C's and the washer and dryer to get laundry done for Adele.

We will get out for another walk - she was able to walk for 8 minutes last time. Then she will get her supper soon and I can get going.

Thanks to the Lord for His Love. If you get the World Vision newsletter - there is an article about LCBC in this month's issue. Please read it while considering a child to sponsor.

Rick

Day 9 post BMT

Adele was ?sleeping? when I walked into the room this morning. She tried to talk with me - but she is at a point of almost asleep so I told her to just sleep.

They started giving her morphine last night for her pain. I know how vicodine reacts with her, so I am assuming the morphine is partially responsible for the sleeping this morning. She said she was waiting for the next dose at 11:30 AM as I walked into the room. It apparently helps very much.

Numbers on the blood work are mixed this morning. Liver numbers dropped again, and that is a great relief. Platelets are dropping again - she had at least 3 bags of platelets this past week. White blood count is still <50 or basically nothing while red blood counts are higher at 31.7. She is getting growth hormone shots to help the WBC counts so that should get them up soon. She received 2 bags of red blood cells yesterday afternoon, so of course the RBC is up today. Will keep everyone posted as things develop.

I still believe this weekend is going to be a time that these numbers will start their upward climb - on their own and not buoyed by transfusions. No facts to support this, just a guess at averages and what Adele's numbers have done in the past.

Keep us in your prayers during this Super Bowl Weekend.

Let Adele call out to people this weekend - please hold back calls to Adele. Let her reach out when she is awake and ready to talk.

Thanks to all - Rick

Day 8 afternoon

I arrived a few minutes ago and Adele is feeling good. Still weak and hurting but the doctors said the liver counts are coming down (that's good) and she is in much better spirits. She looks better than when I left her on Monday afternoon also.

Maybe this is the turning point. We will see on the counts as the days go on.

A friend stopped this morning with Adele and said a prayer with her.

Thanks to all - Rick & Adele

Day 8 at JH

Talked with Adele last night around supper. Still a bad day for her. She is having more pain than she thought she would ever have, but is encouraged by the probability that Wed & Thurs should be her lowest point for blood counts. Mouth sores are also developing and make eating and drinking very hard to do. We both expect that her blood work numbers should start climbing again very soon. Once that happens, this horrible experience will be behind her and there is nothing but better in the future.

Right now she is exhausted by everything she needs to do. Eating tires her out, but then she has to go to the bathroom and that is painful. Sitz baths are a relief, but are again very tiring and she then needs to wait for the nurses to clean up the bath, so she can use it later. Walking is a tiring exercise, but she tries to do it. She sounds very tired on the phone and is prone to tears while talking about what she has to do daily.

She has been leaning heavily on God and me for support this week and is hopeful for better times to come soon.

I am driving back this morning, as soon as the sun comes out to help with the icy spots on the road. I also do not want to be in any work traffic - rush hours - as I prefer driving without all the bumper to bumper traffic that develops in Baltimore. Packing and washing things to get ready and I am almost there. She will be pleased to see me again. It is hard to come home, but I must get some business done also.

Pray for physical and spiritual strength. I believe we are past the downside of all the chemo treatments and have nothing but getting better left. Pray that complications do Not happen.

Thanks to all - and our Lord God - I will try to post more when I get to Baltimore today

Rick

Day 7 @ J Hopkins

Talked with Adele this morning. She is feeling (hopefully) at her lowest yet. The doctors are worried about the liver numbers. They will do an ultrasound today to check on any liver damage.

Pray for liver damage - if any - to be minimized and at best no damage.

She is very weak and has had nurses doing things to her every hour or so, and has not been able to get a good sleep at all. She was weepy talking with me and knew she would feel this way, but hates it anyway. She is also having sitz baths every few hours to relieve the pain she has.

I still have a few items left on my schedule, then tomorrow I plan on getting back to JH and Adele for the next week.

THANK YOU to Steve F from across the street. He just did my entire walk and drive with his snowblower and saved me getting a wet foot. I am still in my boot that the foot doctor has me in to heal the broken bone in the foot. It is open to weather and when it is wet out, like today, I get a very cold and wet foot.

Thanks to everyone that have been so understanding and helpful in the past few months. This is hard to do, and Adele and I appreciate you all so much. We will never get to repay all the kindnesses we have received from everyone.

Cards as always to our home in Ephrata and then I can clean them off before getting them to her.

Again - thanks for all - Rick