Transplant 2 Day - 4

This is Karen, posting for my parents today.

Dad had another night of restless sleeping; he couldn't fall asleep and then would wake easily.  He was talking with his night nurse at 3 am about his frustration.  He quipped that they hand out sleeping pills like m and m's here.  Dad spoke with the unit head, Adrienne, about getting a night-time sleeping pill, as starting the day exhausted makes the whole day tough.  They hope to get that for him tonight.

It looks like Dad will be staying in this private room til Monday at the earliest.  The patient in his future isolation room isn't ready to leave yet.  Though Dad's white blood cell numbers are now below 1, the doctors aren't too concerned about staying in this room.  With the reduced-intensity chemo and with the way Dad is used to living with low numbers, the doctors think that it will be fine for Dad to be in this private room until the isolation room is available.  Dad would agree that it's okay for now but he will be thankful to get into the isolation room.  The biggest differences between the two rooms are: no anteroom for washing up, no clear stop sign for people who may enter the room (housekeeping, food delivery etc.) without extra precautions, no positive air pressure/ventilation, and not the same intense cleaning procedures.

Dad had his fourth day of chemo today - one more round tomorrow.  His numbers are falling, which is to be expected.  His whites are 0.9 which puts him into high-risk for infection.  His hemoglobin is at 72, so he didn't get blood today.  The doctors likely won't give him blood again until Sunday.  Platelets are 15.

Tomorrow is a big day for him.  It is the last day of chemo and then Dad starts the biodrug (the first of three days).  There are big protocols that go along with this drug.  The hematologist and full nursing staff will be closely attending the whole time the drug is administered through IV, in case of side effects and other issues.

Dad is feeling generally quite tired and nauseous today.  It was a quiet day here, with Dad in bed and Mom hand-sewing or reading.  Dad did listen to a few different hymns on Youtube today, which he really enjoyed.  He started with "Day by Day", needing that constant encouragement.  This place is certainly a place where despair is not far away, so he arms himself with the Word... keeping strong and protected in the Lord's care.

Another hymn Dad has enjoyed today was  All the Way My Saviour Leads Me (by the Haven Quartet).

All the way my Saviour leads me, what have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my Guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, hereby faith in Him to dwell,
For I know whate'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.
For I know whate'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Saviour leads me, cheers each winding path I tread!
Gives me grace for every trial, feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter and my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me is a spring of joy I see!
Gushing from the Rock before me is a spring of joy I see!

All the way my Saviour leads me - all the way.

Prayer Requests:
1. Give thanks that four out of five chemo sessions are done and that he's taken it relatively well.
2. That we may trust and rest in the Lord's daily provision, as these songs talk about.
3. As the chemo regimen finishes up, that it may destroy the cancer, weaken Dad's stem cells, and prepare his body for the new donor stem cells.
4. That Dad may sleep well tonight so that he can feel ready for tomorrow.