Day +21

Me again! (I actually didn't fall off the face of the earth...). HUGE thanks to M for picking up the blogging baton and running with it. Just borrowing it for the day. You can have it right back, M.  :)

L's blood counts are recovering very very well! At his appointment yesterday, he was cleared to return to eating fresh fruits and veggies (formerly a bacteria risk). He went and had a salad from Longhorn (his fav!) straight away. He's also been encouraged to add rigorous exercise to his daily routine. He and J came back from the doctor (by way of Longhorn) and went on a long walk around the neighborhood. Nearly 2 miles, I'm told. By the time I got home from work, L was looking extra exhausted because in addition all that excitement, Aunt Lonnie had been retrieved from the airport. She's visiting us from Pine Bluff. We have a full house but L got some well deserved rest last evening.

Today should be a less tiring day. The only event will be taking Cousin J to the airport and picking up Aunt Lena. Hopefully we can all lay low this evening. :)

Don't know when I'll be back, so I won't make any promises but one of us will keep you posted!   :)

Day +20

Hello from rainy Boston - Quick update - L is home - been home for about a week. Recovering. A is working as gatekeeper as the next few weeks different friends and family will be there to help out. J came in on Saturday and will be in Atl until midweek. Today is another doctor's appointment to check on the blood counts and make sure the recovery is on the right track. Will continue to keep the blog world posted.

cheers,
m.

Day +14

He's home! Slept on Daleview Way last night and enjoying first full day at home. K is home tomorrow and then back to doctor for a check-in. Gloria a Dios. Will keep you posted - continue to pray for healing, protection from infection and further engrafting of the stem cells.

m.

Day +12

Good news - L's blood counts are coming up. Gloria a Dios! The word from the medical team is that L will be coming home tomorrow (98% likely). L got to leave 8E today and venture outside for the first time since March 1st. Yay! Will keep you posted on blood counts and the tentative return to Daleview Way

m.

Day +9

Update from transplant land - L is the middle of Day +9. He's tired but hanging in there hoping that the blood counts will be going up soon. We're thankful that he is infection free at this point and that today his nausea is under control with the help of medication. Not much else to report - rainy and stormy here today.
Peace,
M.

Day +7

Hello! L is 7 days into the transplant process and soon the stem cells will be engrafting. Today his blood counts are continuing to drop and may go a bit lower in the next 24-36 hours. L is doing well - no sign on infection, good spirits and few side effects. He enjoyed visitors from Solid Rock yesterday afternoon and got in some lap time on the floor. While L was longing for the fried chicken that comes on Wednesday in the Emory cafeteria, the nurse and doctor nixed that idea. Doesn't mean L wasn't still longing and talking about said chicken - maybe next week when the counts are coming back up. :) Other than that, not much else to report. L is going to nap and walk more this afternoon and A is going to swing by for her evening visit. Will continue to keep you up to date on his progress.

m.

Day +5

Hello! Today is Day 5 after the transplant. L's blood counts are continuing to drop lower. He's dealing with side effects again today. Not great times but after some meds and hard candy this morning, he was able to keep down half of his lunch. Success! M and L walked the floor for a while with globes and masks firmly in place - b/c of the low blood counts, he is especially susceptible to infection. After the walk and a spin on the stationary bike, L laid down for a nap. He had a visitor late afternoon from the lovely neighbor across the street. A visit from A this evening will close the day. Please continue to pray for courage, hope and peace (and resistance from infection/complications) as L moves through the next few days - these are going to be a few of the hardest days in this process.
m.

Day +4

Hello Blog world - Not sure if anyone is still out there watching this blog - A has had to take a hiatus from writing given all the things going on in her world. However, this is M, well now officially Dr. M, giving an update on L's status. Since A last wrote, L was responding well to treatment and achieved remission sometime around December 2009. He was able to travel for the first time with a Christmas time trip to Akron for a visit with family and friends. He then traveled up north to Boston to spend the last week of the year with K, M and the Foleys. It was a nice relaxing week for all and we were happy to ring in the new year with a relatively healthy L and a cherry cream cheese pie (well, 2 cherry cream cheese pies!). The doctors in charge of L's treatment decided that a stem cell transplant would be the next step in helping L return to long-term health and January and February were spent preparing (mentally, spiritually, financially, etc) for the process. L had stem cells collected from himself early February and these peripheral blood stem cells were frozen to be stored until L was ready for them. On February 9th, L and A traveled to Boston for the long awaited end of M's graduate career. It was a wonderful day shared by the Knowlton 4, PFoley, Celia and Gus. Sean, Alyse, Emma, Kaelyn and Aunt CathyJ joined everyone for a happy celebratory dinner to congratulate the new Dr. MLK. After a restful weekend, Aunt CathyJ and L were preparing for Tuesday departures when L awoke with terrible right side pain. After a snowy trip to the Brigham ER, it was determined that L had a mass pushing on the ureter blocking flow from the kidney. The pain was a result of a swollen kidney and gall bladder. This development caused a one week delay in a February 22nd scheduled stem cell transplant. After treatment with antibiotics and the placement of a stent in the ureter, L checked into the hospital on March 1 (his 60th birthday!) for the stem cell transplant. After placing a catheter in, he got settled into his room and the evening ended with treatment with high dose chemotherapy. Wednesday, March 3rd, L received back his own stem cells - Day 0. Now begins the process of engraftment, when these stem cells remake all the blood cells that were killed by the high dose chemotherapy. The first week had its ups and downs - tiredness, insomnia, metallic taste in mouth, naseau, etc. This coming week will probably look similar in terms of symptoms. The blood counts are dropping and may bottom out this week which means there will be lots of tiredness and susceptibility to infection and bleeding since the white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells will be low. Please pray that L will experience a special sense of God's peace, joy, hope and love in the coming days. Also pray for the Knowlton 4 that God would help to give each one a great big heaping dose of patience, love, compassion and grace in the coming days. Also pray that the high dose chemotherapy works to obliterate the masses and that the stem cell transplant will help to get this aggressive case of myeloma under control. Also, pray that K and A are able to be productive this week given much that weighs on their minds as they both work. Will try to keep this more updated this week while in the ATL and once back in Boston.

Best to all.
M, Ph.D. (ha!)