Day 39 - Stem Cell Transplant
Yesterday Jimmy was much the same as Friday and he slept most of the day. He kept complaining that he was feeling really sick. They had given him a platelet and a blood transfusion and thought that it might be the platelet transfusion that was making him feel so bad. They ended up giving him a Pethidine injection and this made him very drowsy.
Loren and Emma are here for the weekend so we got take-aways for supper last night and then the 3 of us watched a DVD on my laptop in my bed during the load shedding which was between 8:00 and 10:30. Needless to say we all fell asleep and had no idea how the movie ended. For those friends following the blog who live overseas; basically SA does not have enough electricity so they switch it off for certain times during the day and night. This is called load shedding. There are 3 stages - 1 being twice a week, stage 2 being once a day and stage 3 is twice a day.
The girls and I popped through to Blue Route Mall this morning to pick up a couple of things they needed and get Jimmy some juices and then I went through to the hospital.
Jimmy was a bit better today. His temperature has come down and seems to be hovering between 36.6 and 37.2. He only had one of those terrible shaking fits, as I call them. He had another platelet transfusion and he was going to have a blood transfusion later. The sister said they were going to turn the adrenaline off later and see if he can cope without it - this is keeping his blood pressure up as it is still very low. They are still feeding him with a tube but he managed two tablespoons of jelly today (yesterday was two teaspoons) but his throat is still very painful from the sores he got as a result of the chemo. We hoping that he will manage some soup for supper tonight. He slept allot today again but not nearly as much as yesterday and chatted a couple of times too asking me all about the crochet I was busy with. Shame, I think he feels bad that he sleeps so much because he very proudly reminded me that he did not sleep as much as yesterday.
I do believe that the worst is now behind us. Well I am really holding thumbs. His white blood cell count is at 3.5 today and the sister said that Prof had told them they can stop his Neupogen injections when his WBC reaches 5. His heels are very sensitive from being in bed for so many days so I rubbed some Aqueous Cream on them. As soon as his blood pressure is back to normal then he will be allowed to get up and sit in the lazy boy again.
Tomorrow I'm going to spend the day with my girls and I'll go through to the hospital at 3pm. I need to plan ahead so that I can tell Jimmy when I will be there and I have also found that it works better if I warn him about an hour before I am going to leave that I will be leaving in an hour otherwise he asks me to stay longer. The days have been terribly long at the hospital but I have now got used to the traffic so this isn't such a schlep anymore. I can't believe that today is day 19 already!
Thank you for your lovely messages, comments on the blog and emails. They mean allot to us both and sometimes they arrive at just that moment when I am feeling very tired and down - a kind of pick me up.
4 comments:
I am so sorry to read of all Jimmy's suffering during this process :( it will get better!!! So crazy how our immune system affects everything. I'm a bit confused as to what day of SCT he is in, as I think you are counting from the entire process of chemo, stem cell harvest and his transplant hospitalization? So which day is he in since is actual stem cell infusion? I remember my neutropenic crash beginning about the 2nd week of hospitalization and lasting thru the middle of my 3rd week, as things crashed then rebounded. It's amazing how bad Jimmy will feel one day, and then slowly, but almost suddenly, his counts will rise, and his glimmer and energy will come back. Thank goodness he is in such great care at the hospital and has you Vivienne so loyal by his side! Just know I think about you both everyday and look forward to your posts! Hang in there Jimmy, myeloma doesn't stand a chance with you!!! xoxo
Hi Vivienne, please pass on all our love to Jimmy, I am so sorry to hear that he he is suffering so badly... it's a very tough time (for you both), but you are a very strong and supportive partner, and you will see him through this to wellness once more - you are constantly in our thoughts and prayers, love, Billy and Celeste xxx
I am counting the days from the beginning because it was supposed to have all been done together. Today (Monday 9th) is day 19 since his transplant. It's so amazing having you on here giving me advice every step of the way. I also have Lorna on and she is also a carer to her hubby so nice to hear it from both perspectives.
xx
Hi Billy and Celeste,
It is tough, more so knowing that most the time there is nothing I can do, but it's not forever. Thanks for your love and support, it means allot to both of us.
xx
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