Okay! Another update! 7/7/2020 Day 5
After 3 days of chemo, a slew of medications (and medications to counteract the side effects of the medications--Grrrrrrrrr), and a couple of small doses of total body irradiation; I received my bone marrow cells on the night of July2/early morning of July 3.
I only had to spend that night at the hospital, and while I appreciated the staff and my big beautiful room with a view of the water and Husky Stadium, I am NOT a hospital dwelling person, and am SOOOO thankful that they switched my regimen to a less toxic one with 2 1/2 weeks less time in the hospital.
The first few days during/after the transplant were pretty rough. I had a headache from an immuno-suppressant drug, swollen parotid glands which were very painful, and was vomiting with little warning. Those days are behind me! Yay God! He has been so very faithful through this entire process. Which is really so encouraging to me, because the whole fact that I'm going this route is quite at odds with my values and is hard at times to reconcile. It's very comforting to see God's fingerprints everywhere. (Also, see earlier entry: "The Dream". This is also an anchor.)
In transplant lingo, the day of the transplant is known as "Day 0" and some people consider it a 2nd birthday. The clinic's protocol is that you stay for 100 days past your transplant. I'm currently on day 5. Rick counted it out this morning, and believing that all goes well with no complications, I will be returning home on October 12. MY BIRTHDAY! This is another signpost that lets me know that God sees all the little details.
Before the transplant, I was having all kinds of tests in every department and measuring every function of my body. I've always been fascinated with health and the human body, so I actually thought this was kind of fun. Now that chemo, radiation and transplant are in the rear-view mirror, I pretty much just get daily blood draws to measure my hematocrit, platelets, immunosuppressant levels (I take 3, and their purpose is to prevent Graft Vs. Host Disease), and kidney and liver enzymes. Today it turns out I need platelets. :( So I have to go back. But, aside from blood draws and twice weekly meetings with my team, my schedule at the clinic is a lesser load. ***I am in the healing, building, engrafting and strengthening phase!***
I'm back to walking around and exploring Seattle with Rick. We hit Costco and Chinatown the other day. I think the soup gave me diarrhea, but only because it was spicy and delicious. It's now resolved! The difference is now they don't want me to wear sandals because I need to keep everything clean. I follow an "immunocompromised" diet which isn't as bad as it sounds. I can even have fresh fruits and veggies if I wash and cut them myself. If I eat out though, everything has to be cooked.
Prayer points:
First, THANK YOU so much for praying! I have people sending me words, visions, prayers, songs, videos, cards, Marcos and links and it really encourages my spirit.
*The biggest thing for me right now is that my body accepts the new marrow and begins to use it to make its own blood. This is called "engraftment" and it typically happens between day 9 and 20. It's typically longer for those (like me) who have received fresh bone marrow (as opposed to frozen with preservative or stem cells). This is the Big Deal. The Point!
EDIT: (Extremely Important!) That the engraftment be accepted well! The risk is something called "Graft vs. Host Disease" and this can cause so many ongoing different problems, many of which are autoimmune.
The good news is that this is much less of a risk for my specific situation because I don't have cancer and have absolutely no need for any bit of this to fight remaining cancer cells. In my situation, they do all they can with meds to avoid this completely.
*Also it's important that I receive supernatural protection and balance. By that I mean... no infections, kidneys and liver healthy, blood pressure in a good range, normal temperature, rejuvenating sleep, no headaches, etc.
*I'm asking for the kind of miraculous recovery that the doctors scratch their head over!
*That I would receive full-spectrum healing: spirit, soul and body.
*Also, please pray for my caregivers. They are sacrificing a lot to move over here to care for me. Rick goes back this weekend and my Sol Sister is coming to take over. I'm looking forward to seeing her! <3 font="">
This should be the course for the next 95 days. I do have a couple of bone marrow biopsies scheduled, but other than that, boring is good! No news is good news.
I love you and really appreciate your prayers! Sonja
I don't think the owners of this boat realize they are my long-lost relatives.
After 3 days of chemo, a slew of medications (and medications to counteract the side effects of the medications--Grrrrrrrrr), and a couple of small doses of total body irradiation; I received my bone marrow cells on the night of July2/early morning of July 3.
I only had to spend that night at the hospital, and while I appreciated the staff and my big beautiful room with a view of the water and Husky Stadium, I am NOT a hospital dwelling person, and am SOOOO thankful that they switched my regimen to a less toxic one with 2 1/2 weeks less time in the hospital.
The first few days during/after the transplant were pretty rough. I had a headache from an immuno-suppressant drug, swollen parotid glands which were very painful, and was vomiting with little warning. Those days are behind me! Yay God! He has been so very faithful through this entire process. Which is really so encouraging to me, because the whole fact that I'm going this route is quite at odds with my values and is hard at times to reconcile. It's very comforting to see God's fingerprints everywhere. (Also, see earlier entry: "The Dream". This is also an anchor.)
In transplant lingo, the day of the transplant is known as "Day 0" and some people consider it a 2nd birthday. The clinic's protocol is that you stay for 100 days past your transplant. I'm currently on day 5. Rick counted it out this morning, and believing that all goes well with no complications, I will be returning home on October 12. MY BIRTHDAY! This is another signpost that lets me know that God sees all the little details.
Before the transplant, I was having all kinds of tests in every department and measuring every function of my body. I've always been fascinated with health and the human body, so I actually thought this was kind of fun. Now that chemo, radiation and transplant are in the rear-view mirror, I pretty much just get daily blood draws to measure my hematocrit, platelets, immunosuppressant levels (I take 3, and their purpose is to prevent Graft Vs. Host Disease), and kidney and liver enzymes. Today it turns out I need platelets. :( So I have to go back. But, aside from blood draws and twice weekly meetings with my team, my schedule at the clinic is a lesser load. ***I am in the healing, building, engrafting and strengthening phase!***
I'm back to walking around and exploring Seattle with Rick. We hit Costco and Chinatown the other day. I think the soup gave me diarrhea, but only because it was spicy and delicious. It's now resolved! The difference is now they don't want me to wear sandals because I need to keep everything clean. I follow an "immunocompromised" diet which isn't as bad as it sounds. I can even have fresh fruits and veggies if I wash and cut them myself. If I eat out though, everything has to be cooked.
Prayer points:
First, THANK YOU so much for praying! I have people sending me words, visions, prayers, songs, videos, cards, Marcos and links and it really encourages my spirit.
*The biggest thing for me right now is that my body accepts the new marrow and begins to use it to make its own blood. This is called "engraftment" and it typically happens between day 9 and 20. It's typically longer for those (like me) who have received fresh bone marrow (as opposed to frozen with preservative or stem cells). This is the Big Deal. The Point!
EDIT: (Extremely Important!) That the engraftment be accepted well! The risk is something called "Graft vs. Host Disease" and this can cause so many ongoing different problems, many of which are autoimmune.
The good news is that this is much less of a risk for my specific situation because I don't have cancer and have absolutely no need for any bit of this to fight remaining cancer cells. In my situation, they do all they can with meds to avoid this completely.
*Also it's important that I receive supernatural protection and balance. By that I mean... no infections, kidneys and liver healthy, blood pressure in a good range, normal temperature, rejuvenating sleep, no headaches, etc.
*I'm asking for the kind of miraculous recovery that the doctors scratch their head over!
*That I would receive full-spectrum healing: spirit, soul and body.
*Also, please pray for my caregivers. They are sacrificing a lot to move over here to care for me. Rick goes back this weekend and my Sol Sister is coming to take over. I'm looking forward to seeing her! <3 font="">
This should be the course for the next 95 days. I do have a couple of bone marrow biopsies scheduled, but other than that, boring is good! No news is good news.
I love you and really appreciate your prayers! Sonja
Believing with you that the doctors will be scratching their heads at some point. Strength and healing, perfect timing for every encounter. Love, Erica
ReplyDeleteThank you Erica! ❤️ I so appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
ReplyDelete