Onward and forward we go - albeit it feels more like we are buzzing around in some kind of bizarre holding pattern this cancer has put on our lives. But in the words of my teenager...WHAT-EVER! This week he started his 7th cycle, which is another 21 day cycle. He will get another week off, and then he will most likely have an 8th cycle during March when they are doing all the vital organ testing before the BMT. As far as the BMT goes here is what we know: April 5th is the date he goes into the hospital for his BMT. On that day he will presumably get settled and begin five days of chemo. He will get a day or two of rest, and then he will receive the donor's stem cells. The day they do the transplant is called Day 0. Hopefully, this day will be the day he gets a new lease on life. After the transplant all of his blood counts etc. will bottom out, and he is supposed to get sick with symptoms that may include but are not limited to fever, chills, vomiting, and/or Hershey squirts (sounds fun right?). The next part of his hospital stay is the "waiting period." It takes 2 to 3 weeks for the donor's stem cells to start producing white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. The production of new blood cells from the stem cells is a process called engraftment. The goal is to prevent any type of infection during this time while we wait for his stem cells to start growing. Once engraftment occurs and his numbers start coming up he can be discharged to go home for the rest of his recovery, which will be towards the end of April. After that he will be at home for about 4-5 months recovering with frequent visits to Moffitt. He will need a care taker 24/7 the first 60 days he is home. I am so thankful that my sister is coming for a week while he is in the hospital and that my mom is able to come stay with us for a couple months after he gets out so I can still work.
Because John is also somewhat of a hypochondriac he has made the decision he only wants hosptial visitors via Skype, Facetime, telephone, or texting. Thanks to a group of his friends, he now has an iPad that he will have at the hospital with him. I would really like to extend another thank you to the following people: Scott, EJ, Dan, Ed, Heather, Bob, Jackie, Khristina, Gonzo, Kristina, Marc, Dave, Darlene, Keith, Garth, Gordon, Debbie, Scott, Kimberly, Joe, Luke, Sean, Brownwyn, Curtis, and Jack. Thank you to my friend Jordan for placing our order, and Darrin, he used your Apple gift card for an App store gift card. You know his motto - "There's an app for that!" With that said, I signed him up for Skype and his Skype address is: johnherbst50. So if you have Skype, start contact requesting him so he can have everything set up before he goes in the hospital.
One more thing! Saturday May 12, 2012 is the Miles for Moffit run. I am signing up for the 5 mile run, but they also have a 5K or 1 Mile run that you can sign up for. It takes place at USF and is the annual walk/run to benefit cancer research at Moffitt. I have already signed up and I created a team if you are interested in running or walking. The team name is "Pirates and Wenches" (John's idea of course) and the cost is $25.
Hopefully next month will bring better news with John's numbers...thanks for listening!
Tina
