Transplant 2 Day 8

I had a decent night's sleep and a mostly quiet start to the day.  I gave my blood for testing, fell back asleep, and they did vitals at 7:30.  I was told my blood numbers, that I didn't need any blood today and I won't get any platelets (as has been established til I get a donor match), and no white blood cells.  I sit up to begin my day and promptly throw up... I eventually did have some breakfast though.

Barb comes and she's gotten phone calls, emails, and texts about the unfolding news story about the chemo drugs being mislabelled and given in incorrect dosages.  A drug company mislabelled the dosage of the chemotherapy drugs and our London hospital was one of four hospitals that used these medications.  Someone messed up on calculations somewhere and this happened for an entire year (March 2012-March 2013).  Unfortunately, one of those drugs was one of the main chemo drugs that I was under in both transplant regimens.  I was able to speak with the hematologist today who was on call and their offices are busy dealing with this.  This doctor is the second transplant head and we have really enjoyed his care and expertise.  In my case, the rate of the chemo was incorrect, but he reassured me that the doctors feel that it's a greater chance of the disease being the issue causing the failure of my first transplant and not the strength of the chemo.  Of all the patients here in our hospital who received this chemo in the past year, my graft was the only that has failed - and that is due to the ruthlessness of my disease, not the chemo.  The doctors will be getting a hold of me personally in the next while once they have it all figured out, and once they have a better idea of what I actually got.  However, what is done is done and can't be changed.  I am not angry about this, as there is nothing we can do to change it.  I'm disappointed but anger and bitterness get you nowhere.  We will continue to rely on our Lord who can do all things, for our daily needs and my long term well-being.

My feet are looking tough today, swollen and a bit purple.  I have very low platelets and haven't had a transfusion in two days.  The hematologist explained that these side effects I've been experiencing (the feet pain/nerve-ending pain) are likely not from my chemo but from the rabbit drug.  My response and side effects are not a typical one to the chemo drugs I was on.  The biodrug (rabbit drug) is not used often here and they usually give a steroid with it as well.  In my case, they wanted to save the use of steroids in case of graft vs. host disease.  They aren't sure what a typical response to the rabbit drug is, but they will keep an eye on it.  Meanwhile, the blood bank is still busy searching for a donor match for platelets.  Physio came to visit me yesterday to give exercises to help with stiffness and walking. But since I have no platelets, I am not allowed to do much movement and have to be very careful.  We will pick up physio again once we have the platelets sorted out.

We got results from the CT scan yesterday.  Most things look well.  I do have a spot on my liver that the doctors think is a fungus.  I've been put on anti-fungal medication again to combat this.  They don't expect to be able to get rid of it until engraftment takes place.  It's a bit scary when someone tells you that you have a spot on your liver so we hope and pray that they got the picture and diagnosis right.

Barb and I have been on the phone and skype today with our children and grandchildren, just like yesterday as well.  These are good gifts to be able to stay in contact with each other.

Prayer Requests

1. Thanks for relief from some of the issues I've had in the last week.

2. Pray that the mixup of the chemo drugs will not affect my well-being.

3. That the Lord will enable us to live each day in His mercy, because His compassions fail not.

4. Pray that the Lord will grant engraftment.

Isaiah 64:4b 

"No eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for Him."