Friday Transplant +2

Today was another beautiful day in Rochester. The temperature was about 75 and it is beginning to feel like Spring!

Jackie felt well this morning. We went to daily doctor's appointment for blood work and consultation with the transplant staff. The physician's assistant said that Jackie looked better today than yesterday.

Upon returning to the apartment Jackie began to get ill again. The nausea and diarrhea returned and lasted a good part of the day. About 4:00 PM the transplant center called and asked that we return. It seems Jackie's magnesium level was low. This is in spite of the fact that she is taking magnesium orally. They gave her an IV infusion. It took about 1.5 hours. Upon returning to the apartment she felt reasonably well. Later in the evening the nausea returned. They tell us they may remain a problem for a long time. Perhaps even after the 2-3 week engraftment process.

Her blood counts continue to drop. They haven't "crashed" yet, but it is likely they will in the next 3-4 days. Currently her hemoglobin count is 11.8. Normal (for females) is 12-15. Her white blood cell (WBC) count is 1.0. Normal is 4.5-11 (ideal for Jackie is about 7). Her platelet count is 80. Normal is above 150. Jackie was as low as 2 last October.

The will infuse red blood cells if (when!) her hemoglobin drops below 8.0. They will infuse platelets when the count goes below 20. Her WBC count will drop to 0.1 (essentially a zero). Until the counts begin to return to normal she will have difficulty eating because her GI tract cannot be repaired.

She still has her hair. It continues to thin - but not a lot. She will lose it all, however. It is likely this will happen over a 12-24 hour period. It is expected to happen within the next 3-4 days.

All-in-all she continues to do pretty well. The rapid decline has not been as rapid as either of us had expected. Of course she is very ill, but she is not totally bedfast (yet) and is handling the situation well. It is almost certain to get worse, but how much worse is still uncertain. Her biggest difficulty is, and will continue to be, eating and nausea. So far her energy level is good. I think the fact that her platelet level dropped to such a low level last year may have helped us both prepare mentally for what some of the process will be like.

Until tomorrow.


Bruce and Jackie
from Rochester, MN