Hello everyone!
I am feeling bad tonight about the loss of lives yesterday when the tornadoes came through the southeast! It just goes to show, we never know when our time here on this earth will be up! It is a reminder of how precious life is! I wondered about the 10 year old girl who adoptive parents were killed. God has a purpose in all things but on this side it is hard to understand. I know it is way above our ability to do so! May God comfort those who lost their loved ones and their homes.
We are embarking on a new phase in this journey. Medical science is amazing ! God has given doctors the ability to do many things that were not available in years past. We went to Augusta this past Monday. Our sweet friends, Judy and Eddie Brown went and Eddie drove for us. What a blessing they are! We met with the doctor at the MCG Cancer Center. He and his nurse were very kind and explained the stem cell transplant procedure. This was an education to me, I had heard of them but never had a clue as to what the process was! They answered all our questions and never seemed in a hurry! The doctor explained that since Ronnie was in "good remission" , he wants to move ahead as quickly as possible with the transplant! He also told us that many years ago, patients only lived 3 to 6 months because there were no known treatments! How thankful we are to live in this time that lives can be extended! With the trials going on, maybe there will be a cure soon!
We will be going back to Augusta next Thursday. They will draw a lot of blood vials, do all the necessary tests, ekg, lung function etc. They do many tests because you must be healthy enough to withstand the rigor of the mega dose of chemo as well as be able to hold up to having your immune system temporarily destroyed. Please say a prayer Ronnie will pass! God has brought him this far so I have no worry that he will pass! This will be an all day thing with another bone marrow test being done last. Ronnie was glad to hear , he will be given a bit of anesteshia this time unlike the one he had in the office before! When he is deemed healthy enough for the transplant they will bring us back in a few days for the next part!
When we go back they will put a port in his shoulder area for the stem cells to be harvested. He will then go home and come back on the fourth day after taking an injection each day to boost his production of the stem cells. Once the stem cells have increased in number they will begin the harvest! This will take place over two days. We will get a motel and he will go back the second day for the next harvest. I did not think to ask if they can get enough during these two days?? After they have harvested an adequate amount of stem cells and if all goes as planned , he will be admitted to the hospital. I asked a lot of questions but apparently not enough because I still have some questions! It seems it will take several more weeks to get to the hospitalization. We will be doing a lot of traveling and staying in Augusta for a couple of nights each week between now and then.
The unit he will be in has only six beds. They stressed he will get the best care. The RN stated that when he calls for a nurse , one will be there right away! No waiting for these patients! One nurse will not have ten patients to take care of. I think they only have a couple of these patients each and for very good reason I am sure!
Once he is admitted, he will get a huge dose of chemo and then sometime later the new stem cells will be returned to his body. His immune system will be nil and that is what they want. The new stem cells will have new ground to grow in, I suppose! One person can stay with him but visitors will be limited to one and then only 15 minutes.He ask if children can visit but that was a negative! That will be hard to not see the babies ! The good thing is most of our grandchildren are not children anymore! He can have no physical contact but visitors can come stand by his bed to talk with him.He can not have any fresh fruit or flowers..but can have outside food if it is cooked fresh..hmm , that might be hard to get!! They told us what to expect as far as hair loss, nausea , weakness etc. The doctor did say patients who do the best are the ones who are determined to get better! Ronnie has a lot of health issues and is one determined and hard headed individual...so I expect him to ace this thing completely!! Ok, family can I hear an amen???
Ronnie loved the fact the doctor said most patients don't stay in the hospital now but three weeks! That is better than the 4 to 6 his oncologist here had him prepared for! After 10 days at Fairview, he said he was not too sure he could stay that long!! He is actually ready for this next step. The doctor told him it would help the unmerciful pain he has been experiencing. The doctor here increased his pain med dose today. He is taking a higher does than ever. He was not happy about that but then what do you do when the pain become greater than everything else going on in your life?
We thank all of you for your prayers, thoughts, and calls. We rest in knowing that you all will be praying for us in the upcoming days and weeks! Thank you for your patience in my rambling explanation! We love all of you and can never thank you enough for your prayers on our behalf!! In HIS love and care, we rest!!!
