So far Terry is doing great. She sounds good, looks good, is eating well and walking around the hospital floor a couple times a day- 12 laps is 1 mile! We look forward to watching her new cells and counts go up and up back to normal. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers- let's continue to pray that the new cells will take and Terry will be back to normal!!

As I type the last of 8,000,000 stem cells are being transfused. Now we just have to wait and hope and pray that those cells get in there, find a home, like what they see and hang out to party.

It’s only the beginning, but we have a lot on our side. We found out this morning that of the 3 levels of matching, all were met perfectly. Including the blood type being the same which is great. They also were able to harvest a lot of cells from the donor and they only needed about a 1/3 of them today. So, as a plus they were able to freeze enough for 3 – 4 more transplants, just in case it takes more cells to stick. She’s looking and feeling really healthy today, and much stronger than some of the patients we’ve met here.

So here we go, ready for battle!


Thanks all for your thoughts and prayers.

Jodi

A message from Terry- written Monday the 26th

Hi everyone, just an update to let you know how I am doing. Started my first chemo Thursday night. I have had 3 different kinds of chemo. Today is my last day and then I get two days of rest. The worst one has been the ATG made from rabbit. They give you medications for reactions, however you can still get a reaction. I got a really bad headache and tightness in my chest. They have a medication for everything and anything. The doctors and nurses are very caring and do not want their patient in any pain if can be helped. I will be given two medications tomorrow and Wednesday for fungi and Graft vs Host. Then on Thursday we will have the transfusion of my donor’s blood cells. Please pray for him, we aren’t sure if he is doing his part today or when because he could be in the US or over seas. Sorry I don’t have a time yet for Thursday, but I figured we could pray all day long that my body will accept the new blood cells.

After the transfusion, the first 100 days are the most critical. I will be here for at least 5 weeks and then to Jodi’s for two to three months. The graft vs host can show up very soon or years from now. So if it doesn’t show up in the first few months, I will just have to be on the lookout for the reactions of it.

I can’t get over how exciting it will be to see my counts go up and stay up! Amazing that a 27 year old man is going to save my life, of course along with our faith.

Jodi has been staying with me since Dan went home on Saturday. Nice having her with me but I can’t expect her to be here all the time. Today she has done a lot of work on her computer. I have a bulletin board in my room full of pictures of family, so nice to look at it during the day and all the nurses comment on what a good looking family! My doctor said wow what a gallery, I will bring pictures of my sons to hang up. I said sure, I would claim them. If anyone wants to send pictures, feel free to do so!

If anyone wants to visit, the doctor said to check with Dan first to see how I am feeling. No one under 12 and no one who has been sick can visit. Also no fresh flowers or plants or fresh fruits and vegetables.

Well, everyone take care, I will be home in a few months to see everyone! My new birthdate will be January 29th!

Terry has been receiving the chemotherapy and so far so good. She has been very tired but able to rest. She had some nausea but the nurse gave her medication right away to stop it and it seemed to help quickly. She is eating good and in good spirits. Let's hope that she can continue like this- she's so strong!!

Admitted!

Terry has now officially been admitted to begin the transplantation process. She said she has a decent view from her room- some buildings and she can see a church. The first week will be chemotherapy. Her platelets were at 38 today but they decided not to give another transfusion. Because the platelets are still low the doctor decided not to put the port in for chemo but rather just a PIC line which should be sufficient for the entire course. They will be inserting the line tomorrow but may still start some of the medication tonight. A few people have told her that she will breeze right through this- we know she is strong and pray that this will be the case! I'll keep you posted on how she is feeling and her progress. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.

There has pretty much been a daily trip to the hospital/clinic to check platelet levels and so far so good this week- no transfusions needed yet, although the numbers are still on the low side. Terry will be going to the hospital at 8:30 Thursday morning and as long as her platelets are above 40 she will be admitted. I think we are all ready to get started so she can get better and back to a somewhat normal life! We'll let you know when she is admitted for the transplant- let's keep praying!

Sorry for the lapse in updates- I have been away from the computer this week. On Monday Terry's platelets rose significantly and she was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday. She was able to return home for the night and then had to be back in SF for labs today. She received another bag of the cross-matched platelets today and is waiting to hear if she has to be there on Sat or not for more testing. Right now she is on strict orders not to go anywhere and many other restrictions- like no fresh fruit or vegetables to minimize the chance of infection. This is similar to how life will be after the transplant- almost like a practice run. Someone told her to treat herself like a newborn baby. I think she will still be checking in for the transplant on the 22nd. Thanks again for your prayers!

The infection (diagnosed as C. diff.)is clearing up. Terry's platelets did not rise with the next bag so they did a cross-match to try to get a better response. After that was infused her platelets rose to 12 (previously at 3 and they want to keep them above 10), which is good. The plan now is to monitor for 48 hours and if they do not drop she should be able to go home and prepare for the transplant, if they do drop she will receive another bag of the cross-matched platelets and then be observed for another 48 hours. Right now is just a lot of watching and waiting, everyone is really nice and she has a good view from her room. There is a prospective date of the 22nd to return to the hospital, but I think we will know more as Terry improves. Thanks again for your prayers.

Back to San Francisco

Terry had to have her blood checked again today to see if her potassium and platelet levels were better after yesterday's treatment- they weren't :( The white cell count was also too low. After reviewing the results the doctor called and they decided together it would be best to admit her tomorrow for a few days- this way he can also address the possible issue of infection (the flu symptoms still haven't gone away) by putting her on antibiotics. They are still waiting for culture results to determine if an infection does exist. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, they are appreciated.

A Change in Plans

Terry went to the hospital as planned today and took some more preliminary tests (echo, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc) then talked to Dr. Martin (the transplant doctor). They decided that it would be better for her to get stronger before starting. Her potassium was low again so she received an infusion to bring it back up and her platelets were low as well so she received a transfusion of platelets. They have adjusted her medication and are planning on postponing only 2 weeks. She is to gain 10 pounds (she lost 12 over the last week and a half) and start her exercises again which she has been too weak and exhausted to do. She is eager to start the transplant and be well again, but I think she also wants to start a little stronger so the delay is okay. We'll keep you posted as we know more.

I can't believe the day is already here. Tomorrow (Jan 6th) Terry is checking into UCSF hospital. The last week has been a little rough. Christmas Eve she received a transfusion and was feeling good, then that weekend she came down with the flu and has had a terrible time trying to fight it off. Friday night the transplant doctor had her sent to the ER in Fresno due to low potassium levels but she was able to return home after receiving fluids and a 7 hour wait. She is feeling a little better but would like to feel stronger going into this. The current plan is to check in on Tuesday morning. This day they will put in the port for chemo which should begin on Wed. The actual transplant is currently scheduled for the 15th. We'll try to post updates often- thanks for your thoughts and prayers.