Monday, December 4, 2006

Update # 77

Good Evening,

It's almost 11:45PM but I thought I'd fill you in on Jeff's first day at Barnes.

We got here around 11:00 this morning for the CBC.  Jeff's counts were very good so he did not need platelets before the broviac procedure.

Jeff had a "trifusion" put in.  The three lumens are shorter in length and bigger in size than the lumens with his previous broviacs.  The procedure took about 40 minutes -- insert the new on the left side then remove the old from the right.

Of course Jeff was starving since he could not eat before so we had lunch around 3:45.

After going through admitting, we got to Jeff's room at 5:10 PM.  For those of you who know StL, the transplant unit is in the Schoenberg Pavillion between Jewish and the Center For Advanced Medicine which is all part of the Barnes-Jewish- Children's Complex.  We've settled into the room but it's not as homey as CG 4th Floor!  This place definitely needs CG's sleep bed chairs!!!

Jeff's first dose of chemo began a little before 9:00PM.  He'll have 16 doses of one kind of chemo - every 6 hours.  Then 2 doses of another kind.  They are both new chemos to Jeff so again he's not sure of reactions.  Then it should be time for the transplant.  Dr. DiPersio stopped by at 10:05PM to check in with Jeff.  He's leaving for a week conference but will be back in time for the transplant.  This is not aggressive chemo and Dr. DiPersio thinks Jeff will do pretty well this week. Of course, all counts will drop and some days he'll feel wiped out.

In a few minutes, Jeff will receive 2 pints of blood.  He feels fine but Barnes uses a different guideline for determining transfusions.  

Ken is staying at Hope Lodge tonight and will return home tomorrow.  He'll come back to StL on the 10th after church.

We were all nervous before we left home this morning but now that the transplant process has begun, we're ready to do all this and get to that recovery part.  We wouldn't be here without all your prayers so please continue them for Jeff.  

We feel every one of them.  

love,

Marcia