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