Mood:
happyNow Playing: From Wes
Topic: Update
Another update on the first anniversary of my blood-cell transplant & the outcome of my appointments at the U of M Medical Center on Wednesday, March 26, 2008, if interested?
Since several of you had asked before my appointment or inquired about the outcome, I'll try to keep it brief, sharing the prognosis from my doctor that day. Beginning with a lower lip biopsy taken right after my return from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on March 13, to confirm my doctor's suspicions about whether symptoms showed me to have Chronic Graft VS Host Disease, or not? GVHD is common in about 70% of
transplant patients & if it's early in recovery, it's labeled Acute GVHD, while later (within the first year or more), it's considered Chronic GVHD. I've had off & on side-effects since I left the twin cities last May, & the lab results confirmed it to be Chronic GVHD, including a 20-pound weight loss since my last visit at the BMT Clinic in early December. Although serious, & even deadly, if not treated, I left there with 2 new
prescriptions, one for PREDNISONE (a steriod) & the other for a new antibiotic, adding to my medications for heart problems, my immune system, swelling & joint pain. He told me my appetite should improve, to get me back to a normal weight, plus he recommended I continue with my supervised physical therapy sessions.
The vitals check, blood draws & bone-marrow biopsy #10 (where pieces of bone & fluids are taken from my hip), showed good results, for which I was grateful. After 12 days on Prednisone & the new antibiotic, I seem to feel better each day, with no swelling in my hands or feet, & minimal joint pain. I haven't noticed any increased appetite or weight gain yet, but try to eat healthy & normal throughout the day. I meet 2-3
times a week with the Pelican Rapids physical therapist, to gain strength, & practice some "at home" exercises in between the therapy sessions; he says he notices improvement as he checks pulse/heart rate. Although my night-time sleep is often interrupted, I get 8 hours of sleep & avoid naps, which I seemed to need previously. I return for a May 21 appointment, to find out what effects this treatment procedure has
produced, & may see my cardiologist at the U of M Medical Center also, to determine heart-related problems since December. There are numerous side-effects from taking Prednisone, but my doctor assured me that it's been used for over 50 years, & is the best way to counter GVHD, for which I'm hopeful, even if I eventually have a "puffy" look to my face?
After a Sunday snowfall here which gave us about 10 inches of heavy, wet stuff, I am catching up on my income taxes, necessary paperwork & correspondence this week. Even the local school was closed on Monday, so my neighbor, who is a teacher, cleared my driveway & walkways. Some of you may have read or watched TV reports of a tragedy that struck our community last Saturday, with a 16-year old girl killed as the result of a bus crash. The 80 students & chaperones were returning from a band trip to Chicago where they'd performed, when the lead charter bus left the freeway NW of Minnespolis & flipped over into the ditch, leaving several injurned, as well. Some are still hospitalized in twin city's hospitals & the community is "in shock" as prepartions are made for her funeral Friday afternoon at the high school here. Her father is my barber, & has been for 15+ years, while her mom is also a hair stylist in town. She had a sister who is a senior at PRHS & a brother who is in 6th grade at the elementary school. Brother Al & I plan to attend the prayer service at their church in town Thursday afternoon/evening. A parents' worst nightmare, to lose a child, but through it all the family expressed concern for others who were injured.
For you who have "stayed with my report", I appreciate your continuous concern, encouragement & prayers. Thank you! I wish time allowed me to respond in a more personal manner, but know how much it's meant to me during the past 18 months, whether in a hospital, the U of M apartment, or back here at my lake home. I'm looking forward to another meltdown... with warmer temperatures, a sunny sky & what I
hope will be a more normal spring & summer. THINK SPRING....and SUMMMER will certainly follow....
There's My best to all of you from Wes