I guess I haven't talked about Donnie much lately, but I haven't really needed too. He has been doing really well. He was able to come home like they said on the 18th, which was great! We were happy to have him home and he was happy to be home. He was getting so sick of the hospital the last few days, more sick of it then the last time. He was a lot more sick the last time so he didn't mind it as much because he just laid around and slept. This time though, he felt good, for the most part he was feeling pretty normal. He wasn't nearly as sick and his headaches stayed to a minimum. So he couldn't wait to step out of there. At his post hospital check-up, the Dr. said his blood work looked great... which is a relief because his white counts were so low when he was admitted. Donnie seems to be responding well to the treatment and honestly he is getting through this incredibly. It's funny because we have been waiting for his hair to fall out, but it just hasn't yet. He is growing quite the impressive beard too. Everyday I'm like has any fallen out. Ha ha. They said he would for sure lose it but he hasn't so I don't know. I guess that's a good thing though! Anyway, two cycles down, hopefully only stem cell left to go!!
We leave for USC tomorrow for an appointment on Monday. He needs to get a few things done before we can get the ball rolling for the stem cell transplant. I'm not really sure what to expect when we get there. They said he would need to get some tests done, meet with a social worker and see Dr. Morbacher. I'll post the details once we get back. The day after we get back, Donnie will have a PET scan done. So we will know exactly what kind of progress he is making. Then the day after that on the 1st, he has to have a catheter placed into a vein in his chest. They do that because when the do the stem cell harvesting they need tubing big enough for the stem cells to go through in tact. And his port catheter is too small. So the moral to that long drawn out story is... we will be having a busy month :) Dates change so frequently with him, that I always plan something and then they wind up rescheduling. So, I try not to plan anymore or expect things to happen when they are suppose to. It's just kinda the way it is right now. Oh well, at least he's been feeling good, that's all I can ask for, right?! He even hung Christmas lights yesterday, man, he's a trooper!
Ohhh, that dang catheter in the heart. Bridger had to have one when he was born and it scared the crap out of me. You make sure that you ask a lot of questions and that the person who does it knows what they're talking about. It's not a risky procedure if the person doing it has experience, but a different story if it's a newbie nurse:)
ReplyDeleteHaha, now that I've thoroughly scared you, jk:) I'm glad things are going well!