June 4
Day 49 since the transplant. Almost half way to 100 days, but they keep telling us not to count on getting out of SLC by then. Preston is doing pretty good. They are having us come to the hospital twice a week starting this week. So that is a step inthe right direction. His energy level is gradually increasing. We go to PT twice a week, and they have been impressed with his stamina and strength after being in the hospital for so long. I look forward to going to PT because they let me work out some. We are trying to find various things to doand see to help pass the time.
Until next time.
Showing posts with label Debra update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Debra update. Show all posts
Monday, June 9, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Debra update
May 23
Preston started going to Physical Therapy (PT) this week, to work on increasing his strength and his stamina. They are going to whip him into shape. They even let me work out on some of their equipment. For the next month we will be going to the hospital Mon-Fri, for IV infusions and PT. The nausea still persists and is a real pain. It comes in waves and smells can really set it off. He is maintaining a good calorie intake despite it. Shawn & Angela had their new baby girl (Jordyn) yesterday. Mom & baby are doing fine. Another granddaughter to love. We are trying to figure out when I can see & hold her. Hope everyone has a good Memorial Weekend.
Preston started going to Physical Therapy (PT) this week, to work on increasing his strength and his stamina. They are going to whip him into shape. They even let me work out on some of their equipment. For the next month we will be going to the hospital Mon-Fri, for IV infusions and PT. The nausea still persists and is a real pain. It comes in waves and smells can really set it off. He is maintaining a good calorie intake despite it. Shawn & Angela had their new baby girl (Jordyn) yesterday. Mom & baby are doing fine. Another granddaughter to love. We are trying to figure out when I can see & hold her. Hope everyone has a good Memorial Weekend.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Debra update
May 9
We have been home for 4 days now. Preston has a lot of nausea & is extremely tired. They keep telling us that these symptoms are normal for what he has been through and that he is doing well. He had follow-up appointments twice this week. Right now we are in the clinic and he is getting an infusion of magnesium, it takes about 4 hours, he had to have one on Wed, too. At least when we come up to the hospital we have access to the internet. The weather has been cool with intermittent showers. Until next week.
We have been home for 4 days now. Preston has a lot of nausea & is extremely tired. They keep telling us that these symptoms are normal for what he has been through and that he is doing well. He had follow-up appointments twice this week. Right now we are in the clinic and he is getting an infusion of magnesium, it takes about 4 hours, he had to have one on Wed, too. At least when we come up to the hospital we have access to the internet. The weather has been cool with intermittent showers. Until next week.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Debbie Updates
April 29:
Day 13 since the transplant. This morning was pretty good, but at lunch time the nausea returned. We just have to take moment by moment. It is a good sign that the nausea and stomach pain are not constant, so far. They are watching closely for graft verses host disease (GVHD), infections, side effects from the medications and chemo. Preston's cell counts are up a little, today. That is good and indicates that engrafment is starting. This has to be a tough thing for a body to go through, when the new stem cells are fighting and destroying his cells to make new ones. Until next time.
May 2:
Preston's blood counts started coming up a couple days ago and are improving every day. He is able to eat despite the nausea. It will take at least a year, sometimes longer for his immune system to recover. So we have to be very careful to avoid infections. We are excited to get out of the hospital.
May 5:
Preston got to leave the hospital for several hours a day over the weekend and things went well. He still has nausea and generalized fatigue. He spent a lot of the time sleeping, but at least it was ininterrupted sleep. Which he doesn't get much of at the hospital. He gets to go outpatient today. Yahoo!!! This is a big mile stone, and we are glad to have made it to this step. He will have to return to the clinic for check-ups several times a week, depending on how he is doing. We have finally got to the biggest chapter in our transplant binder. There are a lot of rules regarding activity and food. He will be at increased risk for infection for months to come. I will try to bring the lap top with us to appoinments, so that I can keep everyone posted. Have a good day.
Day 13 since the transplant. This morning was pretty good, but at lunch time the nausea returned. We just have to take moment by moment. It is a good sign that the nausea and stomach pain are not constant, so far. They are watching closely for graft verses host disease (GVHD), infections, side effects from the medications and chemo. Preston's cell counts are up a little, today. That is good and indicates that engrafment is starting. This has to be a tough thing for a body to go through, when the new stem cells are fighting and destroying his cells to make new ones. Until next time.
May 2:
Preston's blood counts started coming up a couple days ago and are improving every day. He is able to eat despite the nausea. It will take at least a year, sometimes longer for his immune system to recover. So we have to be very careful to avoid infections. We are excited to get out of the hospital.
May 5:
Preston got to leave the hospital for several hours a day over the weekend and things went well. He still has nausea and generalized fatigue. He spent a lot of the time sleeping, but at least it was ininterrupted sleep. Which he doesn't get much of at the hospital. He gets to go outpatient today. Yahoo!!! This is a big mile stone, and we are glad to have made it to this step. He will have to return to the clinic for check-ups several times a week, depending on how he is doing. We have finally got to the biggest chapter in our transplant binder. There are a lot of rules regarding activity and food. He will be at increased risk for infection for months to come. I will try to bring the lap top with us to appoinments, so that I can keep everyone posted. Have a good day.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Debras updates from April
For those of you who haven't seen the e-mails Debra Erramouspe has sent to Sheila that is hanging on the board back by the kitchen, I thought I would post them. So, here they are:
April 12:
The weekend is here and hospital day 6. Now we are doing a count down to Wed. When the stem cell transplant occurs, so we are on minus day 4 (-4). That will be Preston's second birthday, April 16. We pretty much have a set routine for the days--walking, reading the paper, reading books, getting on the computer, playing games. Her refers to the hospital room as his jail cell. He finished the first round of chemo last night. the second round starts tomorrow. He is doing pretty good. A lot of nausea, but continues to make himself eat. Jim started his injections today to stimulate his bone marrow to produce stem cells. Things are going as scheduled. We will have a party wed. some have asked about our granddaughters name: Shea, 8lbs & 9oz. 20in. Born on April 3. She has a grat set of lungs to make her wishes known. Thanks for all the good vibes. Have a good weekend.
Debra & Preston
April 17:
Preston had his stem cell transplant yesterday, so that is his 2nd birthday from now on. Jim donated 9.3 million stem cells over the 2 days. We are so grateful to him for this chance to beat this leukemia. They infused a little over half of the stem cells and froze the rest, to be used later if needed. Preston has had this sudden urge to ride a horse and pitch hay since the stem cell infusion. He is on medication to help prevent rejection of the stem cells and on medication to help control the side affects of the medicines. Once again we are waiting for his blood counts to recover. We are lucky (if you believe that) to have this opportunity to cure this disease. Enjoy your day and life, and make the most of each. Debra& Preston
April 21:
It is day 5 since the stem cell transplant. Preston is doing fairly well, he experiences generalized fatigue and nausea. He continues to make himself eat and walk. His blood counts are bottoming out again and should return in 2-3 weeks, when engrafment starts to occur. He had blood transfusions yesterday and now recieves O+ blood, so Preston will be O+ from now on. I have befriended 5 other spouses and only one is a man. The majority of beds are filled with men. This place does not lack for business. We each have our own story and hardships. I am very fortunate to work where I do and have the support to be at the hospital with Preston. There are several pt form Idaho. One couple has lost their home. We share our experiences and offer support to one another. We are all in agreement that the Bone Marrow Transplant Team at the LDS hospital is fantastic and thatt we are in the right place. Take care, Debra & Preston.
April 26:
It is day 10 since the transplant. The last 2 days have been kind of rough. He has a lot of nausea, fatigue, and a shor throat. We have been told that these are common symptoms from the chemo & the transplant. The medications to help control the symptoms makes him pretty tired, He continues to makehimself eat, shower, and walk. We are waiting for his blood counts to coome up, once again. We feel like we are in the movie "Ground Hog Day", (been there done that). He has been in the hospital over 100 days since getting diagnosed. Maybe we are suppsed to develop patience ( a trait neirther of us is very good at). We have had some friends visit from home, We appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, cards, messages, and words of encouragement. thes things make our days so much better. Talk to you later.
April 12:
The weekend is here and hospital day 6. Now we are doing a count down to Wed. When the stem cell transplant occurs, so we are on minus day 4 (-4). That will be Preston's second birthday, April 16. We pretty much have a set routine for the days--walking, reading the paper, reading books, getting on the computer, playing games. Her refers to the hospital room as his jail cell. He finished the first round of chemo last night. the second round starts tomorrow. He is doing pretty good. A lot of nausea, but continues to make himself eat. Jim started his injections today to stimulate his bone marrow to produce stem cells. Things are going as scheduled. We will have a party wed. some have asked about our granddaughters name: Shea, 8lbs & 9oz. 20in. Born on April 3. She has a grat set of lungs to make her wishes known. Thanks for all the good vibes. Have a good weekend.
Debra & Preston
April 17:
Preston had his stem cell transplant yesterday, so that is his 2nd birthday from now on. Jim donated 9.3 million stem cells over the 2 days. We are so grateful to him for this chance to beat this leukemia. They infused a little over half of the stem cells and froze the rest, to be used later if needed. Preston has had this sudden urge to ride a horse and pitch hay since the stem cell infusion. He is on medication to help prevent rejection of the stem cells and on medication to help control the side affects of the medicines. Once again we are waiting for his blood counts to recover. We are lucky (if you believe that) to have this opportunity to cure this disease. Enjoy your day and life, and make the most of each. Debra& Preston
April 21:
It is day 5 since the stem cell transplant. Preston is doing fairly well, he experiences generalized fatigue and nausea. He continues to make himself eat and walk. His blood counts are bottoming out again and should return in 2-3 weeks, when engrafment starts to occur. He had blood transfusions yesterday and now recieves O+ blood, so Preston will be O+ from now on. I have befriended 5 other spouses and only one is a man. The majority of beds are filled with men. This place does not lack for business. We each have our own story and hardships. I am very fortunate to work where I do and have the support to be at the hospital with Preston. There are several pt form Idaho. One couple has lost their home. We share our experiences and offer support to one another. We are all in agreement that the Bone Marrow Transplant Team at the LDS hospital is fantastic and thatt we are in the right place. Take care, Debra & Preston.
April 26:
It is day 10 since the transplant. The last 2 days have been kind of rough. He has a lot of nausea, fatigue, and a shor throat. We have been told that these are common symptoms from the chemo & the transplant. The medications to help control the symptoms makes him pretty tired, He continues to makehimself eat, shower, and walk. We are waiting for his blood counts to coome up, once again. We feel like we are in the movie "Ground Hog Day", (been there done that). He has been in the hospital over 100 days since getting diagnosed. Maybe we are suppsed to develop patience ( a trait neirther of us is very good at). We have had some friends visit from home, We appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, cards, messages, and words of encouragement. thes things make our days so much better. Talk to you later.
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