Day 3 Update

Today is Day 3. To say my Boy is bored, well that's putting it mildly. He wants out.Now. But that's not going to happen. My poor Boy.

So far *knock on wood* so good. Everything is going according to Hoyle. His temperature has not fluctuated since he arrived. His heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, et al are good. The rash that he has is still there and driving him crazy. It's almost like acne on his shoulders and back, but it'll clear up. The Keflex isn't having much affect, so the doctor making rounds this morning is going to try something else. Its a medication he was going to be put on eventually, so they'll just start him earlier and get this thing taken care of.

His spirits are doing well and he's just looking to keep himself focused. He rides his "bicycle" and uses his weights. Day 3 down and counting.

And so it begins

I was talking with Dogger last night and it's done. Christian did his thing and they got over 5 million stem cells from him in one collection, so he's all done! They can just relax and do their thing until their flight home on Friday afternoon.

Since we got off to such a rocky start (again, "Bad Rehearsal, Great Play" is my mantra), I've steered clear and given them a wide path. (In other words, don't bug and everything will be fine.) So I called them last night just to make sure that they were doing okay and that he knew, again, how much we appreciated this and what it meant to us. (And also that maybe one day he and Dogger can talk.)

While talking with Dogger the nurse was taking his vitals regularly. Heart, blood pressure, temperature...all normal. She said that generally any signs of problems will reveal themselves in the first 15 minutes. We were past the 20 minute mark and he was doing fine. She gave him some benadryl later for minor itching. (He has a tendancy to get "itchy" when he gets blood products, so they weren't worried.) And he got a good nights sleep. It only took about an hour for the transplant, so now its in God's hands and Dogger's body to do the rest.

After I got off the phone, I got a beautiful migraine which I'm still dealing with today. It's just the release of all the stress building up to this point. So I'm going to take my medicine and just relax. This afternoon I'll go up to see Dogger and spend some time with him.

So far, so good. Thank you God for hearing our prayers. I know that you will see us through this.

Today starts Day 1

Well Christian arrived this morning and was done in 4 hours. His first stem cell collection. Tomorrow will repeat the process and Friday afternoon, he and his fiancee will return home. They plan to start giving Dogger the stem cells tonight (as soon as they've gotten a count). Now it begins.

Once the transplant takes place, it'll take 9-10 days for any signs of graft vs host disease to become known. So especially for the next 2 weeks, please keep him in your prayers.

We got the chance to talk some last night and he said he's ready to do this and confident that it will work and he'll come through it just fine and the better health for it. I needed to hear those words.

Tomorrow afternoon and Friday I'll be spending in Tampa. Mom & possibly Bunny will come up Saturday with me. It'll give them a chance to visit and see him and I can drive the Jeep back home.

*Deep breath* Now we begin counting...Day 1 begins today.

I found a stamp today that I'm going to make into cards, so don't be surprised if this shows up in your mailbox, but I wanted to share it with you.

What Cancer Cannot Do
Cancer is Limited.......
It cannot cripple Love
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot kill Friendship
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal Eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit

I found it to be very fitting and true. Much love, Us

Sunday, February 20

Well chemo is done, woohoo! There was a slight miscommunication on Saturday that resulted in some stress and not much fun, but it got worked out. Christian began his shots today, two times per day. They'll begin to collect the cells from him on Wednesday and Thursday. Depending upon the time they get done, they'll begin to transfer them to Dogger immediately or start the next morning. So we're coming in to that Day 0.

He's doing well. The steroid given with the chemo makes it hard for him to sleep, which is hard. You get so tired and your eyes close, but your body won't let you sleep. But the nurses are wonderful and they're taking great care of him. A little benadryl is proving to be just enough to get his body to relax and let him get some rest.

The physical limitations of his environment are proving a bit more challenging than he thought it would be. He'd give just about anything to be able to walk freely around the floor or just go outside and stand in the sunshine. The small room just adds to the anxiousness and suddenly you just feel very wound up with nowhere to go. But they're helping him to adapt and the doctors are telling him to walk around the "floor" by the nurses station a couple of times a day, he's got bike pedals and he has to "ride" each day and use the dumbells to keep his strength up. This is also the first time in a long time that he's got to re-learn how to deal with his ADHD. He's had physical jobs for the last almost 3 years to help burn off the energy.

So lets add this all up, steroids, ADHD, quit smoking (on the patch now), limited physical outreach, not his bed, not his home, line placement, etc., etc., etc. All makes for a very anxious and out of sorts boy. But like I said, they're working with him to make it better and that's what counts. If he can't be home, then take good care of him. They know I'm watching. Nicely of course.

Saturday Update

I finally got to see Dogger last night. Boy it was good to see him! He's doing well and is finally in his own, permanentwhilehe'sthere room. Today is the last day for chemo (although I have a suspicion they may add another day...don't know why that thoughts in my head). I'm getting ready to head up in a little bit.

His room is small, but at least he has a window that looks out onto a parking lot. Hey a window is a window! I took up all kinds of goodies to him last night. I made him some cinnamon muffins (his favorite) and a glass jar to keep his candy in. Boy is he stocked...which means it should last the weekend if we're lucky! lol

He's got Peanut M&M's (his fave), those cookies & cream nuggets and Lifesavers (original and peppermint). I have to stop at Best Buy or Circuit City or somewhere to pick up an adapter for the Playstation for the TV in his room. Then he can play games, watch movies, etc. So I'm going to pick that up and take it with me.

His spirits are good. The chemo brings on a type of depression and with all the daily chemo he's had and everything kicking in (the hardest being our separation from each other while he's there and I have to stay here) its hit him pretty hard. But I'm so proud of him. He talked to the doctor about it and they're going to give him support. He'll be taking anti-depressants to help with everything. It's important for his well-being and I told him that he can always go off of it, but its there while he needs it. So they'll begin that today.

I need to ask today about the phone number for his room and what address can be used for cards. Send me an email and I'll share that information as soon as I have it. He is not allowed any plants or flowers of any kind. (They can bring in organisms that can create mold or infections, so its just not allowed.) He can have balloons and cards. (Balloons can be wiped down.)

Christian and his fiancee arrived safely yesterday. We got off to a rocky start with the hotel, but things have been resolved. I saw him briefly last night to drop of the Jeep for them to use. I don't know how much of him I'll see over the next few days, but I told him that I would take the two of them to the airport, so they didn't have to worry about that.

That's about everything for now. More will follow.

Much love, Dogger & Lee Ann

Friday Update

Dogger is in the hospital. We got off to a bit of a rough start. They did the line placement without problems or incident. (It only took about 30 minutes, if that!) But we got to hang out in Post-Op for 7 hours while we waited for his bed to become available. The nurses were wonderful and took great care of us. They even wheeled in a TV for us and we hooked up the Playstation and were playing video games and watching movies! (Of course!)

By 8:30 they had a bed for him and we made our way to the floor. Unfortunately, it was not "his" room, it was just a room for the night. (They did get him moved yesterday to his permanent room.) And then they had to start his chemo at night to get things going. Poor boy was up all night. After the Cytoxan, they have to give him lots of fluids (orally & through IV) and then lasix to flush out his kidneys. (If this stuff stays in his kidneys, it can cause kidney damage. We're not going there.)

So for the last 2 days, this has been the cycle. But today they are supposed to get him back on track (i.e. chemo during daylight hours so he can rest at night). I talked to him last night and he's doing well, but the chemo triggers depression. That coupled with being away from home, I can't be there often enough and everything at once, it's hitting him very hard right now. But he's talked to the doctor and they've assured him this is completely normal and happens to everyone. They're also going to give him help with it. It'll take a little bit to kick in, but over the next couple of weeks, it'll be very helpful.

Tonight I get to see my boy! I'll be going home first to take care of the Boo and get some things together for him. Then I'm dropping off the Jeep at the hotel for Christian and his fiancee, Christina, to use while they're here. Mom & Frank are meeting me at the hotel, will meet Christian and then we'll go to the hospital to visit with Dogger. I told him as soon as I see him to scoot over on the bed, because I'm going to snuggle up next to him. (Thank you God for putting the line on his right side...I didn't lose my spot!)

This weekend I'll be going up every day. I'm not allowed to spend the night on the floor. The only time they let you is if things are very serious. Under those conditions, I can wait to stay with him. Next week is when everything happens. Christian begins his shots on Sunday and will get them twice a day. Wednesday & Thursday are the collection and transfer days. After Wednesday, Dogger will not be allowed to step foot outside of his room. So please continue to keep him in your prayers and that this all goes as smoothly as possible.

More to come...have a great day.

Here we go

The countdown has begun. Dogger will be admitted to Moffitt on February 15. (I'm taking the day after Valentine's Day as a good sign...love will still be in the air.) We have to be there by 10:30 am. He'll get admitted by 11:30 and his surgery is scheduled for 1:30. (They'll be putting the line into his chest. I'm not thrilled with this part.) After surgery he'll begin chemotherapy that afternoon.

Then he stays there and I'll return home. He's scheduled for chemo daily until Sunday the 20th. He'll get Sunday & Monday to rest (which he'll be ready for). Christian's tickets and hotel have been booked. He and his fiancee will arrive on the 18th and leave the 25th. Christian definitely has the easier part. He'll get a shot twice a day (8a and 4p). This will get his body to superproduce the stem cells that they'll collect. The only side effect to this will be some discomfort in his breast bone (sort of like getting punched in the chest).

He'll begin his shots on Saturday (the 19th) and will continue through the 23rd. They've scheduled the 22nd and 23rd for collection days. They'll do a count of how many cells they've collected. They have to have a minimum of 3-5 million cells. But anything over 5 million, they stop counting and Dogger still gets it all, they don't cut it off. Christian and his fiancee will return to Texas on Friday (the 25th).

We had to plan a "buffer day" in case they needed to do an additional collection. If it looks fine and they want to fly home sooner, they can pay to change their tickets. I got their hotel booked today at the Holiday Inn. It's close to the hospital (free shuttle to and from) and they have a special rate for family of Moffitt patients.

So that's everything. The tickets are booked, the hotel is reserved, everyone knows what their part is and where they have to be when. This will be our last full week together and then he goes in and we begin our next adventure. I pray that God will continue to be close to Dogger and to bring him through all of this the same happy, loving and wonderful man who will become cancer free.

To all of our friends and family, our sincerest thanks and appreciation for your kind words and prayers. I've no doubt of their ability to work miracles. We are truly blessed by everyone who has offered their help, words of encouragement and offers of distraction and whatever else you provide. It's truly and deeply appreciated.

All our love and thanks.