Hi Everyone,
Dana had to leave today, she flew back home to Dave and the kids. It sure was great to have her here but home is where she belongs for the most part. She said she would try to come back soon so we were happy about that! Deb is taking her to LAX at 4pm so I don't expect her to get back here until next week! LOL! Well, maybe not that long but it will take a while.
Today is not only day 5 for my bone marrow transplant its also my last day on the job. Obviously I haven't been to work since December but I've still been on the books using illness time. I tried to use my illness time just 2 hours per day and 6 hours unpaid to get me thru to July 1st, but someone in personnel wouldn't let me. That would have allowed me to get enough extra illness time to make it to November when I wanted to retire. It gave me less money to retire on, which hurts, but I didn't have much choice. I think I'll call the shop tonight and bark out a few more orders just for the heck of it!!! LOL!! Tomorrow is the first day of my retirement and it's obviously not how I imagined it would be. Being here in the hospital takes a lot of the joy out of it, but again, not much choice! I hurt my back this morning and it doesn't hurt while I'm sitting/laying in bed but when I get up it hurts. Good thing I lay around a lot!!! LOL! My sister Carol and her family have been great. They are letting Deb and the kids stay overnight and doing a lot of little things that go above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks Carol! My platelettes were at 17 this morning so more than likely I will get the platelettes that my daughter donated last Saturday. We are really excited about it! My hemoglobin was low today so they gave me a blood transfusion. Thats about it so God bless you all.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
April 29 Day 4
Hi Everyone,
I had a great worship time this morning. I was thinking I might skip today because I wasn't feeling all that well, but the nurses came in and asked when I was going to start, so I started. As soon as I began I was so glad I did and I even did some songs that I haven't tried in a while because they are hard for me to sing and did OK with them. I guess God did a little prodding today and I'm glad He did!!! I am finding that I am very tired after the worship and have to lay down and do nothing for about an hour before I feel like doing anything (not that I do much in here but lay around!!! LOL), but it's more than worth it!!! Deb, Brian, Dana and I all had a great time together again today. It's really nice being with them. Brian had to go home today and left at about 2pm. He got a new truck this week so I don't think he minded the drive! For the most part I am not in pain but feel tired and worn out. They keep checking for fever and mouth sores which usually show up about day 5 so they might be coming. Hope not!!! Please keep praying! God bless you all.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
I had a great worship time this morning. I was thinking I might skip today because I wasn't feeling all that well, but the nurses came in and asked when I was going to start, so I started. As soon as I began I was so glad I did and I even did some songs that I haven't tried in a while because they are hard for me to sing and did OK with them. I guess God did a little prodding today and I'm glad He did!!! I am finding that I am very tired after the worship and have to lay down and do nothing for about an hour before I feel like doing anything (not that I do much in here but lay around!!! LOL), but it's more than worth it!!! Deb, Brian, Dana and I all had a great time together again today. It's really nice being with them. Brian had to go home today and left at about 2pm. He got a new truck this week so I don't think he minded the drive! For the most part I am not in pain but feel tired and worn out. They keep checking for fever and mouth sores which usually show up about day 5 so they might be coming. Hope not!!! Please keep praying! God bless you all.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Saturday, April 28, 2007
April 28 Day 3
Hi everyone,
Ernie had a pretty good day today. They cut down his meds quite a bit and we're thinking it's why he felt better and didn't have to go to the bathroom every 1/2 hour. He had to have a transfusion yesterday of plateletts but fortunately the benedryl did not bother him this time either. Dana donated plateletts this morning and if Ernie needs them within the next 4 days he will receive hers. She is also now on the donor registry. She sat in a recliner for 2 hours while they took blood out of her arm, collected the plateletts and put what they didn't use back in her arm. It was similair to how they collected Dan's stem cells, but not nearly as long. I had to go to Lancaster for an appointment and then went home to check on things there. It sure made it alot easier to leave knowing Dana was there with her dad. Brian got here around 6 p.m. and we all had a really nice evening laughing and talking with eachother, Ernie even asked for something to eat!! His first meal in a week was cheetos and a twix candy bar, the cafeteria was closed so we had to go the vending machines, but at least he ate.
Debby
Hi everyone!
Not much to report for Saturday. They have stopped some of my meds because one of my levels was too high again. It's great for me cause I don't have to drag the IV stand and go pee so often!!! LOL Life's little pleasures sure change! Brian got here Sat afternoon and he and Deb and Dana and I sat and talked and it was really great! It's been a long time since just the 4 of us sat and talked. Usually we have all their families which is great too! God bless you all!
In His Hands,
Ernie
Ernie had a pretty good day today. They cut down his meds quite a bit and we're thinking it's why he felt better and didn't have to go to the bathroom every 1/2 hour. He had to have a transfusion yesterday of plateletts but fortunately the benedryl did not bother him this time either. Dana donated plateletts this morning and if Ernie needs them within the next 4 days he will receive hers. She is also now on the donor registry. She sat in a recliner for 2 hours while they took blood out of her arm, collected the plateletts and put what they didn't use back in her arm. It was similair to how they collected Dan's stem cells, but not nearly as long. I had to go to Lancaster for an appointment and then went home to check on things there. It sure made it alot easier to leave knowing Dana was there with her dad. Brian got here around 6 p.m. and we all had a really nice evening laughing and talking with eachother, Ernie even asked for something to eat!! His first meal in a week was cheetos and a twix candy bar, the cafeteria was closed so we had to go the vending machines, but at least he ate.
Debby
Hi everyone!
Not much to report for Saturday. They have stopped some of my meds because one of my levels was too high again. It's great for me cause I don't have to drag the IV stand and go pee so often!!! LOL Life's little pleasures sure change! Brian got here Sat afternoon and he and Deb and Dana and I sat and talked and it was really great! It's been a long time since just the 4 of us sat and talked. Usually we have all their families which is great too! God bless you all!
In His Hands,
Ernie
Friday, April 27, 2007
April 27 Day 2
Hi Everyone,
I am finally feeling good enough to write my own blog again. Thanks Deb for doing it for me!! I have not felt very good at all for the last 5 days. I have been feeling naseaous, had headaches and felt poorly from some of the meds. They changed my anti-fungal medication (the one that can cause "shake and bake" [high fevers and violent shaking from chills]) because it has caused readings in my kidney to go up too high. The drug they will go to has hardly any symptons so I don't have to worry as much with this one. They had a big reunion of many of the people who were cured at City of Hope and were expecting 5,000 to 6,000 people. I am looking forward to going next year and my brother just said he'd go with me!!! Several of the reunion people came by and encouraged those of us who are being treated now and it was very nice to hear about their success. I have been playing my guitar in here (starting yesterday) and singing praise songs and have been blown away by the number of people who enjoyed hearing it. Some had congregated outside my room and were applauding!! Go figure! I don't do it for any reaction, I do it to worship God and it's cool to know that others enjoy it as well. The nurse's assistant that has been caring for me is a Christian and has encouraged and prayed for me, which is really cool. He says that there are other Christians on the floor and the lady next to me asked him to have me do the praise songs out in the hall so she could hear better. Unfortunately I am confined to my room until my counts go up as my white counts are at zero now, so I couldn't oblige her, but maybe I can come up and do it for her after I get out of the hospital and am in the village. The village is a group of rooms with 2 beds and a kitchen that we'll be staying at when released from the hospital and it's on the grounds here. Things are progressing as they should (so the doctor says) but I'm just getting impatient. God is good though and He will be with me the whole time. Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you all.
In His hands,
Ernie
I am finally feeling good enough to write my own blog again. Thanks Deb for doing it for me!! I have not felt very good at all for the last 5 days. I have been feeling naseaous, had headaches and felt poorly from some of the meds. They changed my anti-fungal medication (the one that can cause "shake and bake" [high fevers and violent shaking from chills]) because it has caused readings in my kidney to go up too high. The drug they will go to has hardly any symptons so I don't have to worry as much with this one. They had a big reunion of many of the people who were cured at City of Hope and were expecting 5,000 to 6,000 people. I am looking forward to going next year and my brother just said he'd go with me!!! Several of the reunion people came by and encouraged those of us who are being treated now and it was very nice to hear about their success. I have been playing my guitar in here (starting yesterday) and singing praise songs and have been blown away by the number of people who enjoyed hearing it. Some had congregated outside my room and were applauding!! Go figure! I don't do it for any reaction, I do it to worship God and it's cool to know that others enjoy it as well. The nurse's assistant that has been caring for me is a Christian and has encouraged and prayed for me, which is really cool. He says that there are other Christians on the floor and the lady next to me asked him to have me do the praise songs out in the hall so she could hear better. Unfortunately I am confined to my room until my counts go up as my white counts are at zero now, so I couldn't oblige her, but maybe I can come up and do it for her after I get out of the hospital and am in the village. The village is a group of rooms with 2 beds and a kitchen that we'll be staying at when released from the hospital and it's on the grounds here. Things are progressing as they should (so the doctor says) but I'm just getting impatient. God is good though and He will be with me the whole time. Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you all.
In His hands,
Ernie
Thursday, April 26, 2007
April 26 Day 1
Hi All,
I'm very happy to report that Ernie had no reaction to the "shake and bake" meds he received last night. I hope it continues to be that way. He did eat some breakfast this morning, but he still has no appetite. I was relieved when the nurse told me they were going to give him nutrition in his IV tonight. For now it will just be at night, but if he doesn't get his appetite back soon they will give it to him continueously. Dana got here this morning, and Brian will be here Saturday. We are always happy whenever our kids come home and even though Ernie is pretty sick, it's no different this time. We treasure our time with our family, it's one of God's greatest gifts. City of Hope is having a 31 year reunion celebration for it's cancer survivors tomorrow. They say some transplant patients who received bone marrow or stem cells from an unrelated donor will meet them for the first time. It should be a pretty special day for all. Next year we will be able to attend. Thanks again for your prayers and may God bless you all.
Ernie and Debby
I'm very happy to report that Ernie had no reaction to the "shake and bake" meds he received last night. I hope it continues to be that way. He did eat some breakfast this morning, but he still has no appetite. I was relieved when the nurse told me they were going to give him nutrition in his IV tonight. For now it will just be at night, but if he doesn't get his appetite back soon they will give it to him continueously. Dana got here this morning, and Brian will be here Saturday. We are always happy whenever our kids come home and even though Ernie is pretty sick, it's no different this time. We treasure our time with our family, it's one of God's greatest gifts. City of Hope is having a 31 year reunion celebration for it's cancer survivors tomorrow. They say some transplant patients who received bone marrow or stem cells from an unrelated donor will meet them for the first time. It should be a pretty special day for all. Next year we will be able to attend. Thanks again for your prayers and may God bless you all.
Ernie and Debby
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
April 25 Day 0
Hi everyone,
Well, the day we've been waiting for has finally come. Ernie had his stem cell transplant this afternoon at 1:30. It took just over an hour and everything went well. Today is day 0 and he will be monitored very closely for the next 100 days. That is how the days will be refered to in the hospital. The benedryl didn't bother him at all this time, sometimes it makes him drowsy and other times wired. He is still nauseous but it seems to be getting better each day. He did not sleep much at all during the day. His sister Carol was with us most of the day offering much needed love and support for both of us. This evening his nurse told us he would be receiving an anti-fungal drug tonight (purely a precaution) through his IV that can have some pretty yucky side effects. She's affectionately nicknamed it "shake and bake" as it can cause chills with extreme shaking and or a fever. He received tylenol at 9 p.m , benedryl at 9:30 and they would start the drug around 10. It will take about 3 hours and she says during the last hour if he gets up it seems to be what causes the chills. If that happens they give him demarol to stop the drug and after that takes affect they would start the IV again. He will have this medication everynight until his counts start to go up. It was very hard for me to leave knowing what could happen during the night, but he and the nurse both assured me they could take care of him. There's a good possibility if his appetite doesn't increase tomorrow they will start giving him nourishment in his IV. He really hasn't eaten much since Sunday. As you can see from the photo we posted today he looks good, his hair is even growing back. We thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. We have a long road ahead of us, but your love and support will help us get through.
In His Hands,
Ernie and Debby
Well, the day we've been waiting for has finally come. Ernie had his stem cell transplant this afternoon at 1:30. It took just over an hour and everything went well. Today is day 0 and he will be monitored very closely for the next 100 days. That is how the days will be refered to in the hospital. The benedryl didn't bother him at all this time, sometimes it makes him drowsy and other times wired. He is still nauseous but it seems to be getting better each day. He did not sleep much at all during the day. His sister Carol was with us most of the day offering much needed love and support for both of us. This evening his nurse told us he would be receiving an anti-fungal drug tonight (purely a precaution) through his IV that can have some pretty yucky side effects. She's affectionately nicknamed it "shake and bake" as it can cause chills with extreme shaking and or a fever. He received tylenol at 9 p.m , benedryl at 9:30 and they would start the drug around 10. It will take about 3 hours and she says during the last hour if he gets up it seems to be what causes the chills. If that happens they give him demarol to stop the drug and after that takes affect they would start the IV again. He will have this medication everynight until his counts start to go up. It was very hard for me to leave knowing what could happen during the night, but he and the nurse both assured me they could take care of him. There's a good possibility if his appetite doesn't increase tomorrow they will start giving him nourishment in his IV. He really hasn't eaten much since Sunday. As you can see from the photo we posted today he looks good, his hair is even growing back. We thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. We have a long road ahead of us, but your love and support will help us get through.
In His Hands,
Ernie and Debby
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
April 24
Hi everyone,
I'm happy to report that they were able to collect all the stem cells they needed from Dan today. They said based on Ernie's height and weight they needed 5,000,000 stem cells and they collected 10,000,000!! (That's right thats million) Ernie still does not feel good, but is much better than the last couple of days. He managed to eat some breakfast and lunch and keep it down. The nurse said they will start meds in the morning about 1/2 hr. before he gets the stem cells. She also said there's a good chance he will sleep most of the day due to all the pre-meds. We won't know if Dan's cells are working in Ernie for about 12 days or so. Brian sent us a picture today of his bald head, which he says will stay that way until his Dad's hair grows back. I plan on showing my support in a different way, sorry Ernie. Please continue to pray for us.
In His Hands,
Ernie and Debby
I'm happy to report that they were able to collect all the stem cells they needed from Dan today. They said based on Ernie's height and weight they needed 5,000,000 stem cells and they collected 10,000,000!! (That's right thats million) Ernie still does not feel good, but is much better than the last couple of days. He managed to eat some breakfast and lunch and keep it down. The nurse said they will start meds in the morning about 1/2 hr. before he gets the stem cells. She also said there's a good chance he will sleep most of the day due to all the pre-meds. We won't know if Dan's cells are working in Ernie for about 12 days or so. Brian sent us a picture today of his bald head, which he says will stay that way until his Dad's hair grows back. I plan on showing my support in a different way, sorry Ernie. Please continue to pray for us.
In His Hands,
Ernie and Debby
Monday, April 23, 2007
Monday April 23
Hi everyone!!
The internet is working in my room as of today, but I'm not feeling very well so Debby will be writing for me until I feel up to it. I got my last dose of chemo Saturday night and unfortunately ever since then I have been nausious. Today I can't seem to keep anything down. My doctor said this particular medication is pretty harsh and getting sick from it was to be expected. They gave me anti-nausia medication, but that makes me drowsy and I don't like that either, but I guess that's better than being sick to my stomach. The nurse told me if I continue to get sick ,rather than throw it up, don't eat and let them give me nourishment through my IV. If I don't feel better soon I will let them to that. The dietition came by to talk to us about the low bacteria diet I'm on and I had to ask them to step into the hall to talk. Just hearing about food bothers me. Tomorrow my brother Dan gets here at 7 a.m. to start the stem cell collection process and Wednesday they will give them to me. THANK YOU DAN!! He had to give himself two shots a day for the 4 days prior to his procedure and he says he doesn't feel great but it's manageable and it got him a couple of day off work. Debby's sister Sue is here for a few days and on Thursday Dana gets here. Please pray for Dan tomorrow and that my body accepts his cells.
God Bless you All
Ernie (Debby)
The internet is working in my room as of today, but I'm not feeling very well so Debby will be writing for me until I feel up to it. I got my last dose of chemo Saturday night and unfortunately ever since then I have been nausious. Today I can't seem to keep anything down. My doctor said this particular medication is pretty harsh and getting sick from it was to be expected. They gave me anti-nausia medication, but that makes me drowsy and I don't like that either, but I guess that's better than being sick to my stomach. The nurse told me if I continue to get sick ,rather than throw it up, don't eat and let them give me nourishment through my IV. If I don't feel better soon I will let them to that. The dietition came by to talk to us about the low bacteria diet I'm on and I had to ask them to step into the hall to talk. Just hearing about food bothers me. Tomorrow my brother Dan gets here at 7 a.m. to start the stem cell collection process and Wednesday they will give them to me. THANK YOU DAN!! He had to give himself two shots a day for the 4 days prior to his procedure and he says he doesn't feel great but it's manageable and it got him a couple of day off work. Debby's sister Sue is here for a few days and on Thursday Dana gets here. Please pray for Dan tomorrow and that my body accepts his cells.
God Bless you All
Ernie (Debby)
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Saturday April 21
Hi everyone
Well the day is finally here, I had to check back into the hospital today. The internet won't be working in my room until Monday so Debby is writing this for me from my sister Carol's house. My sister lives about 10 minutes from here, so Debby will be staying there most nights. Thank you Carol. We checked in about 1 this afternoon, the nurse gave us a brief tour of the 6th floor. The air in the whole ward is filtered so even when my counts are low I can walk around outside my room as long as I wear a mask. Anybody visiting has to wear a mask. We found out today I can't have fast food or restaurant food for 100 days after my transplant. Debby can cook food and bring it in as long as I eat it within 1 hour of it being prepared. My doctor said I needed to be hydrated for 8 hours before I get my last dose of chemo, so I won't be having it til 10:30 or 11:00 tonight. Hopefully I'll sleep right through it. Tomorrow they'll start me on my anti-rejection medication. Now that I'm back in the hospital and things will be happening I'll write again on a regular basis. As always thanks so much for your prayers. Please keep it up we can use them!
In His Hands,
Ernie (Debby)
Well the day is finally here, I had to check back into the hospital today. The internet won't be working in my room until Monday so Debby is writing this for me from my sister Carol's house. My sister lives about 10 minutes from here, so Debby will be staying there most nights. Thank you Carol. We checked in about 1 this afternoon, the nurse gave us a brief tour of the 6th floor. The air in the whole ward is filtered so even when my counts are low I can walk around outside my room as long as I wear a mask. Anybody visiting has to wear a mask. We found out today I can't have fast food or restaurant food for 100 days after my transplant. Debby can cook food and bring it in as long as I eat it within 1 hour of it being prepared. My doctor said I needed to be hydrated for 8 hours before I get my last dose of chemo, so I won't be having it til 10:30 or 11:00 tonight. Hopefully I'll sleep right through it. Tomorrow they'll start me on my anti-rejection medication. Now that I'm back in the hospital and things will be happening I'll write again on a regular basis. As always thanks so much for your prayers. Please keep it up we can use them!
In His Hands,
Ernie (Debby)
Thursday, April 19, 2007
April 19
Hi Everyone,
I have had chemo 4 times this week and will have it on Friday as well. Then on Saturday I will be admitted to the hospital and get another kind of chemo that day and then will be done with the chemo. I haven't had any side effects so far. The blood cultures that they took on Monday haven't shown any growth so that was great news! This means they won't have to replace my Hickman catheter or put me in the hospital earlier than expected. Thank you all very much for praying for me!! Hi "Ernie's Angels"!!!! I hope you are all studying hard!!! God bless you all,
Ernie
I have had chemo 4 times this week and will have it on Friday as well. Then on Saturday I will be admitted to the hospital and get another kind of chemo that day and then will be done with the chemo. I haven't had any side effects so far. The blood cultures that they took on Monday haven't shown any growth so that was great news! This means they won't have to replace my Hickman catheter or put me in the hospital earlier than expected. Thank you all very much for praying for me!! Hi "Ernie's Angels"!!!! I hope you are all studying hard!!! God bless you all,
Ernie
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
April 17
Hi All!!!
We checked into City of Hope yesterday and had blood drawn, then saw my doctor, and then had my chemo treatment. We are staying at what they call the Villages, which are like motel rooms with kitchenettes. They are very nice and are on the campus of the hospital, but close enough to walk to the clinic or to the hospital. We are supposed to stay there until Saturday when I am scheduled to go into the hospital. My doctor was a little concerned that I had a fever last week, so he is giving me more antibiotics. He also had them take more blood cultures, which will show if anything is growing in my blood that shouldn't be. This will take about 2 days for the results. He says if I still have something there, I will have to go into the hospital and will also have to have my Hickman catheter removed until they get rid of whatever's in the blood with antibiotics. He said that putting the new catheter in when they weren't sure that my blood was clean can cause the infection to come back. He says that some of the infection might have gotten into the new catheter and still be there (he calls it seeding), so they might be able to clean my blood but the infected catheter will re-infect me if they don't take it out. I'm sure not looking forward to that because of all the soreness I still have from the surgery on Friday. Please pray that my blood is clean of this infection. I would like to stay in the Villages and not have to go thru another surgery!!! I've gotten two doses of chemo so far (one Monday, one Tuesday) and all is well, I haven't had any side effects which is good news. They charge for any internet time in the Villages if you use your own computer, but they have a computer room with computers for us to use and that is what I am on right now. I will still try to blog everyday. God bless you all.
Ernie
We checked into City of Hope yesterday and had blood drawn, then saw my doctor, and then had my chemo treatment. We are staying at what they call the Villages, which are like motel rooms with kitchenettes. They are very nice and are on the campus of the hospital, but close enough to walk to the clinic or to the hospital. We are supposed to stay there until Saturday when I am scheduled to go into the hospital. My doctor was a little concerned that I had a fever last week, so he is giving me more antibiotics. He also had them take more blood cultures, which will show if anything is growing in my blood that shouldn't be. This will take about 2 days for the results. He says if I still have something there, I will have to go into the hospital and will also have to have my Hickman catheter removed until they get rid of whatever's in the blood with antibiotics. He said that putting the new catheter in when they weren't sure that my blood was clean can cause the infection to come back. He says that some of the infection might have gotten into the new catheter and still be there (he calls it seeding), so they might be able to clean my blood but the infected catheter will re-infect me if they don't take it out. I'm sure not looking forward to that because of all the soreness I still have from the surgery on Friday. Please pray that my blood is clean of this infection. I would like to stay in the Villages and not have to go thru another surgery!!! I've gotten two doses of chemo so far (one Monday, one Tuesday) and all is well, I haven't had any side effects which is good news. They charge for any internet time in the Villages if you use your own computer, but they have a computer room with computers for us to use and that is what I am on right now. I will still try to blog everyday. God bless you all.
Ernie
Saturday, April 14, 2007
April 14
On Friday I had my Hickman catheter replaced. I didn't have any soreness when I got my first one, but this time I was really sore both where the old one was and where the new one was put in. We got home about 5pm to find a message on our answering machine that Kaiser had left at 1:30am Friday. We had stayed overnight at City of Hope Thursday night because I had appointments Thursday and Friday so we weren't home when they called. The message said that one of the cultures that they had taken Monday night when we went to the emergency room was positive and that I should contact my doctor immediately. When I finally got a hold of my doctor's nurse, she contacted my doctor and I was told to go to the emergency room again. I asked the nurse if we could just go to urgent care in Lancaster and she said that would be fine. We went to Kaiser Lancaster, waited for two and a half hours to be seen and they gave me an I.V. of antibiotics and were told that we still had to go to the emergency room at Panorama City. We didn't leave Lancaster until 11pm, went to Pan City and spent hours there only to be told that I was OK and could go home. We left Pan City at 4am and went home two very tired people. We realize that when we need to go to urgent care or the emergency room it will take a lot of time, and it sure did!!! LOL!!! The soreness in my chest on Saturday is less, but it still hurts quite a lot. We go to City of Hope on Monday to begin chemo for my bone marrow transplant, and although I am anxious to get things moving I still have reservations and hope everything goes well. Please continue praying, I can't get thru this without you all!!! God bless.
Ernie
Ernie
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
April 11
Hello to everyone reading this blog!!! I have been enjoying myself while out of the hospital. It sure feels good to relax at home, but we have taken some trips as well. Deb and I and Jim and Joan took a trip on our motorcyles. We left and made our decision of where to stay the next night that morning and it felt good. We would like to take a much longer trip that way too, just going wherever we feel like going! My daughter Dana and her family drove out from Denver so I could see her kids because I didn't get to play with them last time they were out at Christmas and it was really great to see them. They usually fly because it's such a long drive (15 hours) but they drove because her kids seem to get sick right after flying (catching colds and the flu). Deb and I have taken that drive and it seems very long so I really want to thank Dana and Dave for doing that for me!! It really wore me out playing with the grandkids but it was sure worth it!!!
I am definitely going in to the hospital (City of Hope) on Monday April 16th. I have had many tests this week and on Friday I have to have my Hickman catheter replaced because they can't withdraw blood from it anymore. I had a fever on Monday and had to go to the emergency room at Kaiser Pan City. We got there at 6:30pm and left at midnight. They didn't find out why I got the fever but gave me some anitbiotics. The tough part was that we had to get up at 5:30am the next moring to be down at Kaiser Sunset. We were pretty tired that day! When I come home from my transplant I can't have animals in the house and we couldn't find anyone to take our cat so Dana took the cat until we move to Denver. Good luck Dana!!! LOL!!! My brother has gone thru all his testing and everything looks very good for him to be my donor. He sure is stepping up to the plate for me and I really appreciate him helping me like this. He has to give himself shots for a few days before they take the stemcells and he is really good about it. He actually already gave himself a practice shot so he knows what it's like. Yea Dan!!! He will have to sit in a chair and they put needles into both arms with tubes coming out of them. His blood will come out of one arm and go into a machine that collects his stemcells and then the blood goes back into his other arm. They say the process takes about 5 to 6 hours and that he might have to do it for 2 to 3 days, but usually it's just one day. This will be on April 24th. The next day they will hang his stemcells over me and they will go into me just like a blood transfusion, it just drips into my I.V., and I don't know how long it takes. Blood transfusions take 2 to 3 hours to go into me so I expect the same amount of time for the stemcells but I'm just not sure. I will already have had 6 days of chemo to prepare my body to accept his stemcells. There might be side effects with the chemo so we'll have to deal with that, but there might also be a rejection factor. With bone marrow transplants my organs might not readily accept his bone marrow (it's call graft vs. host disease) and the doctors will have to stay on top of it to make sure my body accepts his marrow. This is what will keep me in the hospital longer than the one month they are expecting. Thank you all so much for praying for me and encouraging me. It has meant so much to know that so many are doing this and I hope I do much better at communicating my encouragement to others who are going thru things like this. I know pretty much everyone who is reading this is going thru some sort of trial or difficulty in their life right now, so keep your spirits up and keep putting one foot in front of the other if its that bad for you, because no matter what we are going thru, if we perservere, if we just keep on fighting, we will get thru it one way or the other. I know when I've experienced bad times in my life, there were always good times that followed, so hang on to that as well. We spend low times in the valleys, but we also spend great times on the mountain tops too!!! God bless you all,
Ernie
I am definitely going in to the hospital (City of Hope) on Monday April 16th. I have had many tests this week and on Friday I have to have my Hickman catheter replaced because they can't withdraw blood from it anymore. I had a fever on Monday and had to go to the emergency room at Kaiser Pan City. We got there at 6:30pm and left at midnight. They didn't find out why I got the fever but gave me some anitbiotics. The tough part was that we had to get up at 5:30am the next moring to be down at Kaiser Sunset. We were pretty tired that day! When I come home from my transplant I can't have animals in the house and we couldn't find anyone to take our cat so Dana took the cat until we move to Denver. Good luck Dana!!! LOL!!! My brother has gone thru all his testing and everything looks very good for him to be my donor. He sure is stepping up to the plate for me and I really appreciate him helping me like this. He has to give himself shots for a few days before they take the stemcells and he is really good about it. He actually already gave himself a practice shot so he knows what it's like. Yea Dan!!! He will have to sit in a chair and they put needles into both arms with tubes coming out of them. His blood will come out of one arm and go into a machine that collects his stemcells and then the blood goes back into his other arm. They say the process takes about 5 to 6 hours and that he might have to do it for 2 to 3 days, but usually it's just one day. This will be on April 24th. The next day they will hang his stemcells over me and they will go into me just like a blood transfusion, it just drips into my I.V., and I don't know how long it takes. Blood transfusions take 2 to 3 hours to go into me so I expect the same amount of time for the stemcells but I'm just not sure. I will already have had 6 days of chemo to prepare my body to accept his stemcells. There might be side effects with the chemo so we'll have to deal with that, but there might also be a rejection factor. With bone marrow transplants my organs might not readily accept his bone marrow (it's call graft vs. host disease) and the doctors will have to stay on top of it to make sure my body accepts his marrow. This is what will keep me in the hospital longer than the one month they are expecting. Thank you all so much for praying for me and encouraging me. It has meant so much to know that so many are doing this and I hope I do much better at communicating my encouragement to others who are going thru things like this. I know pretty much everyone who is reading this is going thru some sort of trial or difficulty in their life right now, so keep your spirits up and keep putting one foot in front of the other if its that bad for you, because no matter what we are going thru, if we perservere, if we just keep on fighting, we will get thru it one way or the other. I know when I've experienced bad times in my life, there were always good times that followed, so hang on to that as well. We spend low times in the valleys, but we also spend great times on the mountain tops too!!! God bless you all,
Ernie
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