Just wanted to let you know how things have been going this week. My dad completed his stem cell transplant on Monday. He received three bags of his own stem cells that had been harvested from him a couple of weeks ago. Each bag takes 15-20 minutes to administer via his port and unfortunately there is a preservative in the bags that makes the process extremely uncomfortable. Apparently it is so bad that many patients refuse the second and third bags because of the sensations, but my dad toughed it out and received all three bags.

Overall, he's been feeling pretty awful this week. Not only are the seven consecutive days of chemotherapy finally catching up with his body, but his labs are also "bottoming out," which is startling but expected after the transplant. It is routine that red blood counts drop to levels that would be considered critical in other contexts. To help with that, my dad received a blood transfusion yesterday and will likely need another one tomorrow. He's also been having a lot of nausea and GI issues (to the point that they tested him for a gut infection which thankfully came back negative) and has been put on a liquid diet (major bummer for him). Overall, this is the low point of the process, but the nurses are taking great care of him and doing everything they can to help him be as comfortable as possible. 

 

He'll continue to be in the hospital until his blood levels and other labs improve.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.