Transplant moved to WEDNESDAY!

We were just informed that her stem cells were not going to arrive until tomorrow evening, so they have planned it for Wednesday. They are going to remove the old picc line tomorrow so she will only have the new one with 3 ports they installed last week.

Charmaine is feeling better this morning! The nausea has subsided due to additional meds, and she was able to eat her frosted flakes for breakfast. She has already walked 7 laps, ate some chicken and dumplins for lunch, and when dad just got here they started walking together...he's so happy to see her feeling better.



Keep up the prayers! She has a long way to go, but she is keeping the faith and knows this will all be worth it in the end!!

Stefanie

Sunday...Finished all Chemo

Charmaine had to receive 2 days of high dose chemo...one yesterday and one today. Yesterday she did great! The pre-meds they gave her worked very well and she felt good, ate, and walked a mile. Today, however was a little harder. They said that her side effects would intensify, and they have.

She has been nauseated most of the day with a few other side effects, but is taking plenty of meds and is resting quietly now.

This process is awesome but complex, and its hard to include every detail...I hope you understand.

Keep up the prayers...she's a fighter!!

Stefanie

Friday...Completed Radiation

As you know, Charmaine has been getting full body radiation twice a day for 3 days to prepare her body for the new stem cells. Today she finally completed the last two radiation treatments. This was a new experience for her and she had to rely totally on what the doctors told her to expect as far as side effects. The unknown was a little scary for her...you know she's a planner!

The side effects she is experiencing (headache, nausea, upset digestive system, tingling/itchy/stinging skin, swollen facial glands) have been minimal so far. The effects on the first day were slightly worse, but the doctor said that was normal. She is relieved that the radiation is over.

On Saturday, I'm not sure exactly what time yet, she will receive an hour of high dose chemotherapy, then again on Sunday. The side effects are expected to be more intense, but there is a list of medicines they plan to give her before the chemo starts to lessen or pre-treat the effects. We hope and pray that the meds will help and the effects won't be severe. Either way, this hard part is only temporary and will have such a happy ending!!

One of us will try to keep you updated on her condition over the weekend. Nat is with her tonight (Friday) and said she is feeling better and was resting good.

To those of you wondering..."Everybody's Pizza" was great and she thoroughly enjoyed it!

Keep Charmaine and her donor, all the doctors, nurses, and caregivers in your prayers!

From a little plaque in her kitchen at home..."She believed she could do it...so she did." Author Unknown


Stefanie

Thursday August 27th...Update also PM Update

Yesterday at 630am and 12:30pm Charmaine did get her first 2 rounds of full body radiation. The actual process is painless like getting an xray. In the early evening she did get nauseated some and had a bad headache. The nausea went away but the headache persisted until they had to give her stronger meds to contain it. She slept ok during the night but is still very tired from yesterday. We had to get up at 4 am to leave home.

She has just got back this morning from 3rd radiation treatment. She will have a total of 6 treatments.

I need to correct the info on the radiation on yesterdays post. Each treatment lasts 20 minutes not 2 hours.

We were told yesterday that the transplant may be delayed 1 day because the donor is out of the country which means it could be the 2nd instead of the 1st of September.

Thanks for caring about her so much. I'll keep you all posted.

Sam

7:30 PM Update

She had her 2 rounds of radiation today with little or no side effects so far.

Thanks be to God for his never ending mercy!!

Tonite she and Stefanie ordered a pizza from Everybody's Pizza and enjoyed it. Charmaine said she was going to eat it while she could. She has a wonderful upbeat spirit.

Will update you tomorrow. It is her last day for radiation.

Sam

Wednesday August 26th.....TRANSPLANT PROCESS STARTED

Yesterday we went to Emory for an additional 3 pic lines to be put in Charmaine's chest. These are IV ports on plastic lines to her heart. They left the original two in so she has five total now.

This morning at 620am she will start her 1st round of full body radiation. It will last for two hours; then another at lunch for two hours. This will happen for three days.

Saturday and Sunday she will get heavy dose chemo. These two things will neutralize her blood cells and platelets making her ready for the actual transplant.

She is good spirits now. We met a man there yesterday that was there for his 100 day check up and had done very well with hardly no real problems other than loosing 53 lbs.

I'll try to post you all daily on whats is going on and her condition.

Getting up at 4 am is exhausting by mid day.

We expect to be there 4 weeks.

Thanks for your prayers.

Sam

Monday August 24th.......Last Full Day at Home

Today is Charmaine's last full day at home before going in for the transplant.

She has been feeling fantastic. Normal in every way except for sleeping till 10 or so everyday. Her hair is even starting to sprout back.

We have been counting down the days with much anticipation and dread. For at least a month this will be very difficult on her depending on the severity of the ulcers she gets in the mouth from radiation and the degree of graft verses host disease which can cause an array of issues.

Last Friday night at 9pm, somewhere between 60 to 75 of our friends came over with candles in our yard and serenaded her with praise songs. Some drove long distances to come and do this. We will be forever grateful to all of you for caring so much and giving her your Friday evening.

Thank You all for all you have done for us with cards, calls, visits, food, cleaning our house, praying for her, reading the blog, and many other things. We have been overwhelmed by what you have done for us.

Tomorrow at lunch we have to go to Emory to have a third pic line installed in her chest. She has had two for three months but must have three for the transplant. They look like small lines coming out of her chest with an iv receptacle on the end.

Wednesday we will be there at 6am for the 1st round of radiation. She will be there at least 3 weeks to a month.

I will pick back up on daily updates for you on this post.

Please pray for her. Especially that her body will not reject the transpalnt.

Thanks again to all of for caring so very much.

Sam

Transplant Date and Tentative Schedule

Charmaine is still feeling very good and enjoying her time at home getting prepared for her Stem Cell Transplant! She is ready to git-r-done, but dad is starting to get a little nervous and anxious...and as he says...this is normal. Of course we have been told by many people what to expect and what all could happen, but we know that everyone reacts to their transplants differently..so we are going into this part of the journey with a positive attitude and we have faith that she's going to be just fine!

Here is the schedule we are expecting:

Aug 25...Another picc line will be added to the 2 she already has because they need more ports to access for the transplant.

Aug 26...She will arrive at 6am to start her countdown week of "Conditioning" which are days -5 to -1 and will prepare her body for the new cells. She will have 3 days of full-body radiation twice a day, then 2 days of high-dose chemotherapy. The side effects from these could be nausea, vomitting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and possible skin irritations like a sunburn. She will also begin taking the immune suppressant meds to prevent rejection of the new cells (GVHD or Graft vs. Host Disease). Please pray that her side effects won't be severe.

Sept 1...This is called Day 0, and is the day she will receive the new stem cells! It will be like getting a bag of blood through an IV. She will then have an additional 2 days of more chemotherapy.

By the end of conditioning and into the first week of the transplant, her white blood cells (WBC) will disappear as well as her platelets and bone marrow, all to be replaced by the new cells when they start growing. When the new cells start growing it is called "engraftment" and this must happen before she can leave the hospital. She will probably be in the hospital for 3 to 4 weeks or until her WBC and platelets rise to the level the doctors require. During this time, her immune system will be non-existant so her environment and the food she eats will have to be extremely germ-free and almost sterile. The 8th floor at Emory is very effective at keeping everything protected and sterile. She will not be able to have visitors for quite a while, but please send her cards if you wish. She's been told how important it is for her to try to exercise everyday to retain her strength...from walking laps to just sitting up depending on how she feels!

Please pray that Charmaine will stay strong both mentally and physically throughout this whole process, and that her body will not reject the new stem cells. Also pray for her donor that he will remain safe and healthy, and that he will be blessed and rewarded for this selfless gift of life he's giving Charmaine.

Thank you all for everything you are doing for our family!

We will keep you updated.

Stefanie

Friday August 14

Charmaine is having a wonderful week. She's able to do almost anything she wants now with near normal energy. She is still sleeping till 930 to 10 each morning. I suppose just catching up on rest.

Yesterday we, with Natalie and Stefanie, went to Emory for an orientation session on the transplant process. It was very informative hearing a doctor and a nurse both speak on what to expect. We go back today for lab work and routine doctor visit.

We are still on the calendar to check in August 26th for conditioning and the transplant on September 1st.

As you might guess, she is getting very very anxious about having to go through this. Actually its more than anxious, it's more like dread but she knows she has no choice.

The biggest risk/concern is called graft verses host disease. That's when her body starts fighting a stranger being there for a while. Everyone gets it to some degree. They do have meds called immune suppressants to minimize it. It can have some very uncomfortable side effects. It may last a couple of weeks or up to a year. Yesterday I asked the doctor what the mortality rate on GVHD was. He said about 20%. That's scary.

Please pray that she will not have a severe case of this and that her body will not reject the new cells.

She is definitely getting a stem cell transplant instead of bone marrow.

Looking so forward to the next 2 weeks with feeling good.

Sam

Monday August 10th

Yesterday Charmaine celebrated her 55th birthday here at home and had a wonderful day. All 4 of our kids were here and almost all the grandchildren. We made 3 freezers of ice cream and had 2 small pools full for the little ones. Her energy level was good all day. It was also the 33rd anniversary of us being together. Our 1st date was on August 9, 1976 and have never been apart since.

We go to Emory Thursday for a seminar on the transplant process then go back Friday for normal lab check and Dr visit.

I can't tell you how good it is to have her home and feeling near normal just for a while.

Thank You all for all the kind things you have done for us. Thanks to many of you for remembering her birthday.

In closing, I wanted to share something I saw at Emory last week. A lady was approaching me in the hall and I noticed her tee shirt said on the front "A BLOOD DONOR SAVED MY LIFE". I thought she was probably a transplant survivor till she passed me. As I looked,the back of the shirt said "HIS NAME WAS JESUS".
I thought that was so powerful to be wearing around the hospital.

I can't imagine anyone going through the experience we are having without the faith that God is always in control no matter what. We believe the tee shirt is true.

Sam

Thursday August 6th

Charmaine is having a good week and feeling near normal. Her energy level still hasn't came back. Just feels a little tired some and has to nap some during the day but generally fine.

Sunday is her birthday!!! So happy she will be home for it.

We go back to Emory tomorrow at 10 for more appointments regarding the transplant and to meet with a social worker for a family meeting.

The schedule is still on now to check in on the 26th for conditioning and have the transplant on Sept 1.

Sam

Sunday August 2nd.......Update

Friday at Emory was a very long and tiring day with 4 different appointments. These included a lab appointment to get blood drawn for tests, an appointment with her main Dr., then a consultation with the radiologist about the full body radiation she will get for 2 days during conditioning and finally a bone marrow biopsy at 3pm. She felt no pain at all on this biopsy.

She has felt good this weekend with just mild fatigue. An hour nap during the day seems to help. The med called Valtrex was reduced to 500mg per day from 3000. This really helped with the fatigue.

Our next appointment is with a social worker for a family meeting. On the 18th she goes in for her body to be measured so the radiation amount can be calculated correctly. We are still scheduled to check in on the 26th to start conditioning process.

She is enjoying feeling good again and having a normal appetite.

Thanks for caring about her so much.

Sam