Day +12: Happy St. Patrick's Day

"Christ beside me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ within me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me."

– St. Patrick

Yesterday was a tough day. Jason’s blood level was low enough that he wasn't really able to go to the bathroom on his own. He didn't eat and barely opened his eyes. Nurses packed the room for vital checks every fifteen minutes, attached a heart monitor, and watched him very closely. Today his blood level has only increased a little but his eyes have been open a lot more today than yesterday, and he ate a Popsicle.

Part of his exhaustion can be attributed to the transplant process. After a few units of blood Jason usually feels at his best but the past few days the blood has just given him a very small boost. Nurses are not worried about his low blood but are obviously worried about his health when his levels get that low. They keep talking about how his body is starting over. If this transplant is working then Jason’s body needs to begin again with baby steps. Hopefully soon we will see Jason walking down the halls but right now he just sleeps.

Despite Jason’s lack of platelets (zero, again), his nosebleed hasn't really gotten any worse. In the past this nosebleed would have eventually become larger and larger but doctors can hardly see the trickle of blood down the back of his throat. Plus, the horrific mouth sores that seem to have plagued all of the other patients haven’t really been an issue for my husband. He has rarely complained about mouth pain and when the doctors looked at the sores today they noticed some healing. And another piece of good news is that all of those vital checks yesterday just showed everyone that his body’s vitals are healthy; his blood pressure never wavered, and his oxygen level was good. Sometimes his fever would return but was well-managed.

Plus, the doctor performed a blood test to see if Jason’s body is still destroying red blood cells. At this point, it is not his disease that is reducing his blood level – this is excellent news. Between chemotherapy, and a few stray antibodies in his blood that hopefully will pass, his blood level drops but we are confident that the transplant will erase this trend.

Today the hospital has been a lot quicker with his units of blood. I hope they are this fast tomorrow as well. With the blood being given to him a little earlier I was able to see him with his eyes open for an hour or two today. Now, he rests. I look forward to when he can say more than just a few words to me every day. I am fine with silence but I miss my hubby.