April 21..Our 32nd Anniversary...Update

Today was an ok day for Charmaine. She fought off a low grade fever most of the day. They are bombing her with antibiotics to fight off any infections she may have. This causes severe diarrhea. She can only have Tylenol once a day for fever and she saved it for tonight.

She was given 2 units of blood today to bring her red blood count back up. The white count was at 400 at last count which makes her immune system at compromise to infections without the antibiotics. A normal white count is 7000 to 9000.

She was supposed to have got the spinal tap today but it has been put off until tomorrow.

We did get some new information today about our upcoming schedule in the hospital.
From now on we will go to hospital for 5 to 7 days for chemo treatment. We will come home for 5 to 10 days after chemo. During that time we go back to the clinic 2 times a week to get lab blood work up. When her blood levels start to drop which occurs at 7 to 10 days after chemo we will check back in hospital for about 2 weeks till blood levels get to normal. Then we can come home home for about 7 days, then go back and start the next chemo regiment. The process will be repeated until it is over. Then the bone marrow transplant will happen.

Bottom line is that we will only be home about 12 to 14 days per month until this is over. We thought we would be home for 3 weeks in between treatments but she has not reacted well on that schedule. As best as we can tell this will be about August or September.

That's ok. As long as she is there I don't worry so much. It has become like a second home for us both.

I go every day and stay with her. One of my daughters or one of her close friends stay at night with her until she is fairly normal.

I do not have the right words to thank my girls or our friends for all you are doing to help us during this time. Charmaine is so grateful for all that is being done for her.

Also, thanks to each of you that have and continue to send the cards and notes. You'll never know how much they mean to us both.

Tomorrow will be spinal tap for sure. Later in week according to her blood count numbers she may get a transfusion of platelets.

I think we'll be at Emory till mid to late week next week.

Today the nurses brought us a bottle of Welches White Sparkling Grape Juice with 2 plastic glasses for our anniversary. We had a toast in the room alone.

Sam