February 26th................Update

Charmaine continues to be doing extremely well. Her days now are very near normal. Occasionally she will have some fatigue but not often.

She is tolerating all of the meds well with few side effects.

We only have to go to Emory every three weeks for Dr. visits.

Her hair is growing like crazy. It is about 1 inch long , salt/pepper, and feels like mink. I think it is going to be beautiful.

Thanks for all of your prayers and continued support for her.

Sam

February 13th..........Update

We went to Emory Friday for a routine Dr. visit. All is just fine with Charmaine now. She still has excessive iron deposits on her liver but is taking a new drug called Ex Jade to correct it. It will take some time, maybe a year to go away. The side effects of the drug are very mild and livable.

Charmaine was home for the snow. I can't imagine that beauty without her seeing it here.

The Dr. told her she could go to church again now. She is so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! excited. Been trying on clothes all evening getting ready. We will go tomorrow morning for the first time in over a year.
Just can't sit close to a large group.

We now are going every three weeks to the clinic.

The only new thing she has going on is a cramp on her left side in the lower hip area during the night sometimes. Can't figure out exactly what is causing it. Fells like in the muscle not the bone which is a good thing. She is still taking steroids which can cause some joint problems over a long use.

Her daily routine is very near normal now. It is unusual for her to even take a nap now during the day.

Will try to update you all weekly on her progress.

Thanks for all the prayers for Charmaine.

Sam

Feb 2..................5 Months post transplant!!!!!!!!

Today is Charmaine's 5 month anniversary after the stem cell transplant!!!!!!!!!!!! Boy how time flies with her home.

She is doing extremely well now. For the past week she has been feeling as if she has never been sick. Little or no side effects or fatigue. She has cleaned and reorganized every cranny of the house.

We did find out from the MRI that she has excessive iron deposits on her liver. The Dr. has ordered a new drug for her called Ex jade to reduce this and take it away. We are waiting now to get it. It has to be ordered by the Dr and comes in the mail??????

Her hair is about an inch long and a beautiful salt/pepper color and feels like velvet. Much thicker than her hair was before.

We only have to go the clinic every 2 weeks now for check ups.

She has started her Sprycell meds (the chemo pill to prevent the leukemia from reoccurring) and is tolerating it very well.

Thanks for all your continued prayers and concern for her.

More later...................

Sam