Saturday, September 15, 2007 (+527 days)

Well, it has been a long time since I updated the blog. That is always a good thing!

Just after the last post was submitted we made a return trip to Oklahoma.  Jackie was a bit weak due to problems with GvHD.  As some of you may recall, I bought an airplane so Jackie no longer had to travel by commercial (can you say Germ Factory) airlines.  While stopping for fuel in Coshocton, OH Jackie slipped and fell while trying to board the airplane.  She landed on her head.  The fall, although not far was very severe and was precipitated by her weak condition.  The fall resulted in:

An ambulance trip to the hospital.

An overnight stay in the ICU.

A severe concussion.

A not-so-fun flight back to OK the following day.

More than a month's worth of dizziness!

I am happy to report she is fully recovered.  In fact, once she recovered we altered some of her meds and she has done quite well.  Her level of Cyclosporine has remained the same at 50 mg/day.  Her Prednisone has been increased to 10 mg/day.  At one point she was only taking 5 mg every other day and this resulted in an increased level of GvHD.

Given her current dosages she is experiencing almost no GvHD complications.  One exception seems to be thinning of her skin (likely due to the steroids on board).  This causes problems with blistering on her feet.  Other than this issue she is leading what most people would consider a perfectly normal life.  She still tires a little easier than prior to transplant and she still has some difficulty in sleeping (again due to the steroids) but all-in-all she is almost back to normal.  Last week she completed a 6 mile walk/run.  Her only problem was some blisters due to the factors mentioned above.

We return to The Mayo Clinic in 10 days for a routine exam and follow-up.  We will remain in OK for the winter.  So...all is well for know.  Let's hope the trend continues!