Bonnie on Day Zero: The transplant -- from Mike
Here is the latest from Mike on Bonnie's progress:
Transplant Procedure Went Fine Today; Bonnie is Now Blood-Type O+
As expected, the transplant itself today was, in many respects, anti-climactic. There was some "cleansing" done in preparation -- which consisted of transfusing lots of fluids to flush out her system. Then the procedure itself started at about 1:30pm and took all of 10 minutes. That's to be expected when one considers that the transplant amounts to a transfusion consisting of roughly 4-6 ounces of blood. ...Now we sit back and wait for the stem cells to do their thing. It is truly remarkable.
In the meantime Bonnie is now the owner of a new and very immature immune system that will grow up to be one that produces O+ blood. See attached photo where she is displaying the goods.
She seems better today. Slightly more energetic, but nonetheless still tired after all the preparatory chemo and TBI over the last week. Very good spirits. Very hopeful about the outlook. ...She is a rock. Per usual, she wanted to talk more about the girls, and the fact that Isabel had a fun and successful spin on her new bike tonight, than she did about her situation and the day she had just finished. Isabel, of course, was ecstatic and so proud of herself; her enthusiasm was therapeutic for both Bonnie and me.
Next few days will be tough, with delayed side effects associated with the chemo, the TBI, and the prophylactic drugs.
The larger picture is that we now embark on the next phase -- we wait for the stem cells to engraft successfully (as bone marrow cells) in their new home -- while monitoring/managing GVH (graft v. host)and any potential infection.
Gib's note: Thanks, Mike, for the update.
Transplant Procedure Went Fine Today; Bonnie is Now Blood-Type O+
As expected, the transplant itself today was, in many respects, anti-climactic. There was some "cleansing" done in preparation -- which consisted of transfusing lots of fluids to flush out her system. Then the procedure itself started at about 1:30pm and took all of 10 minutes. That's to be expected when one considers that the transplant amounts to a transfusion consisting of roughly 4-6 ounces of blood. ...Now we sit back and wait for the stem cells to do their thing. It is truly remarkable.
In the meantime Bonnie is now the owner of a new and very immature immune system that will grow up to be one that produces O+ blood. See attached photo where she is displaying the goods.
She seems better today. Slightly more energetic, but nonetheless still tired after all the preparatory chemo and TBI over the last week. Very good spirits. Very hopeful about the outlook. ...She is a rock. Per usual, she wanted to talk more about the girls, and the fact that Isabel had a fun and successful spin on her new bike tonight, than she did about her situation and the day she had just finished. Isabel, of course, was ecstatic and so proud of herself; her enthusiasm was therapeutic for both Bonnie and me.
Next few days will be tough, with delayed side effects associated with the chemo, the TBI, and the prophylactic drugs.
The larger picture is that we now embark on the next phase -- we wait for the stem cells to engraft successfully (as bone marrow cells) in their new home -- while monitoring/managing GVH (graft v. host)and any potential infection.
Gib's note: Thanks, Mike, for the update.
posted by gbiddle616 at Friday, August 05, 2005
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