happy happy joy joy

What a crazy trip this has all been. And yet, at every turn we keep getting greeted by blessing after blessing. Today we received the best news yet. Joe has been discharged from Short Stay for good behavior. :) What does this mean? This means that even though we haven't yet reached Day 30, we no longer have to go to the hospital every single morning. What does that mean? It means that tomorrow, we get to SLEEP IN! Joe's WBC is up to 3300. Today he was officially taken off all of his antibiotics, which significantly decreases his pill intake. Now he just needs to take two anti-rejection meds and one anti-viral med. Also, for the first time in weeks, Joe's magnesium level was in normal range. Because of the drugs he's on, the level will probably dip again. But Joe will take tablets instead of getting an IV. The truly amazing part is that for now, Joe only needs to go to the hospital twice a week. Seven days down to two is a HUGE blessing. It was supposed to be a gradual taper, but Joe has been doing so well. Praise the Lord!

Joe's mouth sores continue to improve. Nausea is rare and doesn't last too long. Joe's appetite is getting a little better, although his taste seems a bit blunted. His mouth sores have improved greatly. The only new thing is tenderness in his fingertips. His fingertips and the meaty part of his palm are red, and they are sensitive to heat and friction. The doctor said that this is a common side effect of FK5O6 (tacrolimus/Prograf) as well as Busulfan (one of the chemotherapies Joe was on pre-transplant). In time, this too shall pass.

What can I say? God is good, and all of your prayers, love, hugs, and support are apparently working. Thank you, thank you!

Day -2

Joe is currently bonding with Jay over football! Joe is still in good spirits, although he has decided that being drugged up is not at all fun. Tonight will be his last night of the fludarabine and busulfan. This morning, Joe was started on the first of three rounds of Thymoglobulin, an immunosuppressant that seems to be quite unpleasant. There seems to be a whole host of other drugs Joe has to take along with the Thymoglobulin to ward off its potential evilness! The same goes with the chemotherapies. Poor boy. I'm sure he is taking more than 10 different drugs a day now.

Joe has pretty much lost all desire to eat. His meals now consist of a can of creamy milk chocolate Ensure Plus, and little else. He keeps saying that all of this is still better than his first hospital admission when he had the awful rash and constant fever.

Joe's preparing himself for what's to come, but hoping it won't be too bad. The nurses have warned him that post-transplant is when things get rough. That is when he'll start losing his hair. That is when he might develop rashes or infections. That is when the mouth sores may come back. Of course everyone is different. Everybody gets hit with some unpleasantries, but there is a spectrum. Joe is being a real trooper, he's still smiling and he's still being his sweet self. I'm sure that he'll be able to handle whatever comes his way. In his own words, "This ain't no thang." But I'm still going to pray like crazy that all goes smoother than possible. It warms my heart to see him being so strong, but it breaks my heart to see him go from bouncing around to being bedridden in a matter of days. I love that boy.

Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and support.
Thank you to Jay for visiting and entertaining us with your stories, and for the collection of books!
Thank you to Julie and Gordon for stopping by and bringing chocolates!
Thank you to first-day-on-call-Paulette for stopping by to bring Joe every flavor of gum on the planet!