APRIL 8

Gary did well today. It always seems like we are always watching some kind of number to determine good or bad days. *smile* The collection today brought in .85 so that brings the total to 1.07 million stem cells. The BMT nurse was very pleased with that. They still want Gary to go back tonight for a Plerixafor shot to keep this going. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 7

Today was Gary's first day to start collecting his stem cells. We arrived at the clinic at 8am and within 20 minutes, the nurses had him connected to the machine. The disappointing news was he would still have to receive the two growth shots (G-CSF)each day of this process.The next 5 hours was spent just waiting ..... and waiting...

For the machine to take out his blood ... separate the red blood cells, plasma and stem cells ... store the stem cells ... and then circulate the red blood cells and plasma back into his body.

The end result is this little bag of stem cells! They tag it, send it directly to the lab for them to count how many cells were harvested and then they will freeze it.
They hope to collect a million cells a day, but are happy with what they call .5. Later in the day, the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Nurse Coordinator called to say that Gary only produced .22 so he needed to go back to the hospital at 8pm to get a shot of a new drug called Plerixafor.

This drug has just been approved this past February, and they have nothing but good things to say about it. It helps push the stem cells in the bone marrow out into the blood stream so they can be collected. Before this drug was available, Gary would have had to go in tonight and received 2 more G-CSF shots, which are painful. Although this drug is also administered in his belly, it is not painful. All in all, it was an uneventful day. Gary slept most of it. *smile*.

So, how can you pray for Gary? Pray that he will produce the desired amount of stem cells each day. He needs a total of 5 million or more. He will have to go every day and receive the two G-CSF shots and possibly every evening for the Plerixafor until he meets this amount.

APRIL 6

Once again our day started with Gary getting two shots in his belly. They took a blood draw to see how Gary is doing making stem cells. If the number was at least a 10, they would proceed to harvesting tomorrow. Around noon today, we received a phone call that Gary's number was a 12! Gary was so happy to no longer need the shots. They are not pleasant at all. So, tomorrow at 8am, Gary will go in to be hooked up to a machine for 4-5 hours as they start to harvest the cells. This will go on for 3-5 days, depending on how well he is at giving up his blood.

APRIL 5

Gary arrived at hospital at 7am for his two growth shots. They also changed the dressing on his central line. All in all, he is doing ok today. Been very tired, but that is a normal thing lately. Has not had the pain he had yesterday. I am still hobbling around, but don't think I did any serious damage to my knee. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 4 update

After I wrote a post for today, Gary started having severe pain in his back. We were told this would happen, we are just a little surprised it started this soon. They said he would have aches as if he was getting the flu. This was good, as it means the stem cells are multiplying and putting pressure in the bone marrow trying to get out. It is pretty significant pain but he is allowed to take an extra pain medication as needed, so I hope it will help him to be able to sleep tonight. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 4

Gary is doing better with the pain from the central line being put in. He had two more growth shots this morning and then has rested today. I on the other hand, need your prayers.

We had our carpets cleaned today to prepare for when Gary will need a sterile environment. The solution they were using was bothering me so I thought I would take my dog Charlie out into the hallway. I made the mistake of walking on wet carpet ... then onto the kitchen linoleum. My right foot slipped out from under me and I landed with all my weight and Charlie's on my left knee. I now have a very large "goose egg" on my knee cap. So ... I am laid up this evening with ice on my knee. Please pray with us that I did not do any serious damage to my knee and it will be better by morning. It will be hard enough caring for Gary in the next month without having to worry about seeking treatment for my knee. I told my daughter, Becky that I pray constantly not to get sick, but forgot to include accidents .... Just call me "Grace".

APRIL 3

Gary came through the procedure for the central line fine. It will take a week or so for him to get used to the tubing under his skin. He was given several instructions concerning the line and the one we thought was funny was that he could take a shower ... just don't get it wet. *smile* Guess I will be drawing a bubble bath for him from now on. *giggle*

We went to lunch, then back to the clinic for him to have the growth shots. It was bad enough to know he would need a shot given in his belly, but after arriving to the infusion center, he was told he would have to have TWO shots. He said it feels like bee stings and continues to sting awhile until the drug gets into his system. He will have to do this for two more days and possibly three.

Tonight, he is understandably worn out and sore. Says he is in considerable pain at the site of the central line. Hopefully his pain meds will kick in and he will be able to rest tonight. Thank you for your prayers today. Although the risk for this procedure was small, it was still a comfort to me to know that so many were praying for him. We are so blessed!

APRIL 2

Tomorrow morning at 9am, Gary is scheduled to have a central line put in. This catheter will be use to deliver chemotherapy, medicine, nutrition, blood transfusions and the healthy blood stem cells. It is also used to draw blood for the frequent blood tests he needs during the transplant process. This will reduce the number of needle punctures, which is a good thing, since Gary has always been what the nurses refer to as a "hard stick".

Gary will receive a palindrome central line. The inserting of this line is done during a surgical procedure. a surgeon or radiologist will make two small incisions in his chest and thread a catheter through a large vein until it approaches his heart. The line will remain in place until his treatment is finished.

In the afternoon, Gary will receive his first Neupogen/G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) shot. This medication will be given by daily injections in his belly for 3-4 four days. It will cause the bone marrow to increase the production of stem cells and move them into the circulating blood so they can be collected. On Monday, they will check to see how many of these stem cells are in the blood stream and if the right amount, they will start harvesting on Tuesday.

PRAYER

We don't take it for granted that so many around the world are praying for Gary. Words just can't express enough how thankful we are for that!

Recently I saw something that I would like to do on this blog. If those of you who are able, could take a picture of Gary's name written on a sign of some sort, and include in the picture either yourself, your church group and/or something that would show where you live and send it to me either by mail (see address under our picture at right) or through the internet (bamaw5@yahoo.com.ph) as a jpg. file.

I would like to post it on the blog so others could see the different people, from all over the States and in different countries that are praying for Gary. It would be an encouraging thing for Gary as well. If you choose to do it in a humorous way, that would be even better. There would be no deadline for this, I would just add them as I receive them. Thanks!

APRIL 1

GOOD NEWS!

And it's not an April Fools joke! Gary saw his doctor today and the tumor in his brain has shrunk dramatically! He was very confident that it would continue to do so. That means, Gary has been given the green light to start the process for the stem cell transplant.

Friday, he will have a central line put in. He will have to go to the clinic every day for three days to receive growth factor shots. This is to make his stem cells start producing extra cells. If by Monday, he will be making the required number of cells, they will start harvesting. I have explained this process in a previous post title "Blood Harvest" dated 12/3/08.

Today, the doctor explained all the possible risk of going through the stem cell transplant. This is not going to be an easy process and Gary will be pretty ill. There is a danger of damaging all his vital organs and though the percentage is small for his age group, there is also the risk of death. I say all this to say that he is going to need your prayers more than ever now. Thank you for your prayers!