Though the days go by fairly quickly for me, time seems to be going slowly. I feel it should be Day 10 due to anticipation but it is only the end of Day 5. Ashtyn woke up with more mouth and throat pain than the day before. They increased her continuous morphine from .6 mg to .8 mg an hour. Each time she pushes the … Read More →
Ashtyn is stable and enduring well. Each and every night I sleep at the hospital. Ashtyn and I both like it that way. The nurses give one medication or another at least every few hours both day and night. Ashtyn’s blood pressure and temperature is taken every four hours. Blood is drawn from her Broviac central line every morning at 4 a.m. for lab work. … Read More →
Things are still going great. Today was a relaxing day in the hospital. In between watching movies, playing on her phone, and sleeping, staff worked to keep Ashtyn comfortable and manage any side effects she experienced. After Chandler donated his marrow, it was tested for any infections before it was given to Ashtyn. Whether it had an infection or not, it would still be given … Read More →
Ashtyn woke up feeling decent and had a rather uneventful day. Uneventful is wonderful. Even though she doesn’t feel as well as she would like, she looks good. Today she spent most of the morning and afternoon sleeping. During the evening she watched movies while her dad rubbed her feet. Twice a day she receives an anti-rejection medication called Cyclosporine. She has had horrible foot … Read More →
At 6:30 a.m. Chandler arrived at the hospital with Jason. I met them in pre-op while he was getting ready for surgery. Chandler was calm and completely fearless. I became a little nervous when I found out that Chandler had woken up feeling sick. He had a sore throat, body aches, and a slight fever of 100.4. I wondered if it would affect him during … Read More →
Ashtyn has finished her second day in the hospital finishing up her preparation for her bone morrow transplant that will occur tomorrow. She is experiencing the effects of her eight previous radiation treatments and does not feel well. Nausea comes and goes. Sometimes it’s a mild, lingering feeling. Other times the nausea comes as an intense wave. All in all, she has a generalized “icky … Read More →
Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found inside of bones where all of the blood cells are produced. Every type of blood cell in the marrow begins its life as a stem cell. A stem cell can be called a “parent cell” because it divides and forms the different cells that make up the blood and immune system. Stem cells produce white blood cells that … Read More →
Monday followed a pattern that Ashtyn and I have become very used to. It was unpleasant and tough, then enjoyable and fabulous. It started out at noon when we went to Primary Children’s Hospital for a check up, final transplant teaching, and paperwork. By 1 pm we had not been seen by the transplant team. I informed the nurse that we needed to be at … Read More →
Things are ever changing. Three days ago (Thursday) Ashtyn had surgery. She was so brave. On the way to the hospital we discussed whether or not she should get a new NG tube. Knowing that in the near future she would have days of radiation, chemotherapy, and the transplant, she wondered if she would be able to have the energy and desire to eat the … Read More →
Since I will be back in the hospital shortly, I would like to have a BBQ to celebrate the beginning of my bone marrow transplant. I would like to invite anyone who would like to join. I would love to see my army there. Use the contact link and email my mom if you need my address. It will be at my house on Monday … Read More →
