Last Friday they gave Terry platelets that were HLA cross-matched and they gave her a boost up to 87! Today they were back down to 47 but we are hoping they will bump up again on Friday. The tests they have done show that there are none of the donor's cells left in her system and that the myelofibrosis is still present. Because of this they have decided to go ahead with stronger chemo and another transplant with a different donor. The chemo with the first transplant was not as strong because the doctors did not feel that her liver could handle it, but now the benefits are outweighing the risks. The plan right now is to wait about 3-4 weeks and then begin the process again. We'll let you know as we know more, thanks for all of your prayers.

We don't have a lot more information today, platelets are still really low and not increasing with the transfusions. They did transfusions on Monday but platelets actually decreased after and they gave more platelets today and plan on giving more Friday hoping that they will find some that work with her body. The doctors have said that she may respond better to platelets from siblings or children so we are planning on trying that. Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers.

On Saturday, Terry was released from the hospital even though her platelets were at 20. She will go back to the clinic on Monday to test her blood and receive more platelets. Tuesday she will meet with Dr. Martin- the doctor who has been following her throughout the transplant, to discuss options and where we will go from here. Let's keep praying! We'll keep you posted when we learn more.

The last platelet count was 33 but they have given 2 bags of platelets since. Those results should be back soon. They did another CT scan of her head last night and the bleeding looks better so if the platelets come up the doctor said she can go home to Jodi's today and be back at the clinic on Monday. Hopefully these platelets will work and she will be out of the hospital for Mother's Day! We'll keep you posted!

We still don't know a whole lot more. Today they continued to monitor blood counts. She received a blood transfusion last night which brought her hemoglobin up. The latest platelet count was 51- so it dropped some since last night and they would like to keep it above 50. Right now they are just monitoring the bleeding- they said that it is small and not putting pressure on her brain so they will eventually do an MRI to see if it has changed. They also did a chest x-ray today which should have results tomorrow. We'll let you know, thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

It has been a really long day- as you know Terry's blood counts have been very low- especially her platelets which have not been increasing despite repeated transfusions. Yesterady after the bone marrow biopsy (results should take about 10 days) she was feeling sick- throwing up a couple of times and had a bad headache. They assumed it was from all of the stress and the medications she had yesterday but then this morning Jodi called the clinic to tell them and they told her to take her straight to the ER and have a CT scan done or to call 911. Jodi took her to the ER in Mountain View and they found a small lesion on her brain that was bleeding. After a few bags of platelets and medication they transported her to UCSF. After another bag of platelets her count jumped from 5 to 77- which is really good- they have not been that high for a while but her hemoglobin and hematocrit have dropped (most likely from the bleeding). She is resting right now in the hospital and we are not entirely sure what their plan is. We will keep you updated as we know more.

Lately there’s been a decrease in blood counts and them not doing what they should, as well as a rapid drop in platelets even after 3 infusions in the last week. Given this, the dr has determined that the transplant did not take or work. They believe that the myelofibrosis cells have grown back and are killing off all the cells, like the platelets, as they are infused. Similar to what was happening prior to transplant. The ultrasound from last week was normal so that is part of the reason they think something else is going on. Tuesday they are going to do a bone marrow biopsy to determine exactly what is going on in the bone marrow, such as the amount of the bad cells and if they’ve taken on a new form and if her condition has progressed into leukemia. Because of the low platelets, the biopsy is somewhat risky since her body is unable to stop bleeding. As of today the dr. believes that the most favorable route to take would be to do sessions of chemo over the next 4 to 6 months and at that point determine if an additional transplant is a good idea. After the biopsy they will determine for sure what approach they’d like to take from here. If she does go to the chemo for the next 4 to 6 months, she will be able to do the chemo in Fresno and stay at home which will make Dan and herself very happy. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers, we'll keep you posted.