Tag: cancer
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Day +9
I went to visit George today (Sunday) at around 2:00 and was surprised to find him still in his sleep shirt and in bed. Normally, I would find him dressed and sitting in the recliner. He was fatigued and his mouth was hurting badly. He now has sores in his mouth, which we know is…
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Day +7 and +8
It’s hard to believe it’s already been over a week since George received his bone marrow transplant. He was feeling some negative side effects from his conditioning treatment, but managed to put in an 8 hour work day on Friday! Once George finished work, we watched a movie together on the fabulous big screen tv…
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Day +5 and +6
On day +5, the side effects from the chemo and radiation started to emerge. George said his throat was hurting…like after you have a long coughing episode. He is also experiencing more fatigue, which is understandable as his blood counts are in the basement. He started feeling queasy off and on, but not nauseated. He…
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Day +1
The day after transplant…Day +1 and George is doing well. He does have fatigue and started having some bowel issues today (diarrhea), which the nurse said is perfectly normal and to be expected after the chemo and radiation. His spirits remain good, but he suffers from….boredom. I told him to catch up on Peaky Blinders…
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Day Zero! Happy Birthday, George!
The day we have been anticipating since George was first diagnosed with AML has finally arrived! Since we were told that the only route to the chance for an actual cure for George was a bone marrow transplant, we have been moving towards this day with intention and hope…completing all the tests required to clear…
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Days -3, -2 and -1
George’s chemo ended on Day-4 and on Day -3, he started his TBI (total body irradiation). The transport folks come and get him very early in the morning, between 5:30 and 6:00 and wheel him down to the radiation department. He lies on his side the entire time and the staff there plays some classic…
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Days -5 and -4
The day a transplant patient receives their new stem cells from their donor is referred to as Day Zero. The days leading up to it are listed in a T-minus manner, meaning in a way that indicates a specific amount of time remains before the main event. And the days after in the same way,…
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What’s Your Line? (Central & PICC)
Friday, July 1, George went in to the hospital and had his Hickman catheter, or central line and his peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line) placed. What are those things? I’m glad you asked. A Hickman catheter, or central line, is a soft, small hollow tube that is placed into a vein in the chest…
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Here We Go….
Yesterday afternoon, we got the phone call we have been waiting for. We were informed that George has a bone marrow transplant hospital admission date of Saturday, July 2nd. The next day, he will start on his 2 day regiment of high intensity chemo followed by 3 days of total body radiation (twice daily). Then…
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Playing the Waiting Game
It’s been a while since I have written anything. That’s because I feel like we have just been waiting for the show to get on the road and for George to be admitted for his bone marrow transplant. But in reality, a lot has been happening these past couple of weeks. First, George received the…
Diagnosis: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). A Journey 