What's Next?

     Don has completed most of the testing for his major organs this week in preparation for the stem cell transplant.  Also, he had about 4 days this week with very little pain! 

     We have tentative dates for both the stem cell collection and the stem cell transplant.  If all continues to go well, he will begin receiving shots on April 13th at home that will stimulate his system to produce more stem cells. Then he will go into University Hospital on April 16th and will be in for 3 to 5 days as they collect his stem cells.  They need 10 million stem cells per kilo of his weight, so that is a lot!  Beginning on Monday, they will place a "port" in his chest, which will be in for quite a long time, even after the transplant.  Tuesday and Wednesday they will collect stem cells, a process which will take about 5 hours a day.  At the end of Wednesday, if they have collected enough, they will let him come home.  If they still need more, he will stay one or possibly 2 more days.  They are going to try to collect enough for 2 transplants in case he needs another one in the future. His stem cells will be frozen until needed.

     He will have approximately 2 weeks off after that, then enter the hospital for the stem cell transplant on May 7th.  He will be in the hospital anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks. 

On May 8th he will receive the most toxic chemo so far, and he will most likely suffer all of the negative side effects - hair loss, nausea, etc.  But they have assured us they are prepared for all of these and will take care of him.  The actual transplant will take place on May 9th.  It is kind of anticlimactic as the stem cells are simply given to him through the port and it only takes about 45 minutes. The second full week of his stay will be the hard week, as that is when all of the negative side effects will hit.  

      Once they have determined he is doing well enough, perhaps after the second full week, he will be released from the hospital and moved over to Hope Lodge where he will stay until he is well enough to come home.

     We feel this sort of "looming" over us, and I think we both just want it to be over with.  It is an amazing miracle, what stem cells can do, but it is not going to be a pleasant experience for Don.   He will most likely be off work all of June and perhaps July as he recovers.  They tell us fatigue will be a major factor in the recovery process.  They also said they have never had anyone go back to work in under 2 months.  I am actually looking forward to his recovery during the summer months as it will be the first summer we have had off together in many years!

Praises:
     For God's extraordinary intervention in our lives on a daily basis.

     Don had 4 really, really good days past week - the least amount of pain he has had in several months.  It was back with a vengeance on  Tuesday night, but we were thankful for these times when he is pretty much pain free.

     Other than the pain in his hips, Don continues to feel pretty good.  He is working at least 5 hours a day and is able to make it to a few meetings. 

     Friends and family have been so gracious in taking him to appointments and to work!  We thank God for every one of you!

     We are assured of God's continued presence and help in this trial as He continues to manifest Himself to us through people and circumstances (God moments).

     We are so blessed by the cards we receive and the many people who continue to pray for us.

Prayer Requests:

     That Don and I would face the long hospital stay and all that it entails physically, mentally and emotionally with courage,  peace and mutual strength.

     That the myriad of details and tests and procedures that need to be scheduled and completed will go smoothly.

    That times of being without pain would become the norm rather than the exception.
     That the swelling caused by the steroids would dissipate quickly.  

Thank you everyone for your continued interest in our journey; the way that you uphold us in your prayers and care for us in so many ways.
Love,
Don and Marcie

     

 

Getting closer...

Dear family and friends,
     This will be a brief update from Marcie again this week.  We received very encouraging news from our local oncologist this past week - Don's numbers are under a "1" for the first time!  This means that the cancer is shrinking and he is moving in the right direction to be ready for the stem cell transplant!  We give thanks to our heavenly Father and to all of you for your prayers.  We wish somehow we could know how many prayers are being sent to the Father on Don's behalf - I'm sure they would number in the thousands! They are obviously having a great effect!
     He finished round 5 of the intravenous chemotherapy, and no more is scheduled of that for now.  He will finish round 2 of the Revlimid chemotherapy drug he takes by mouth on March 13.  We have an appointment with our University Hospital oncologist this Wednesday and we are hoping that he will give us some firmer dates for the stem cell collection and the actual stem cell transplant.
     One of the next things in the process is for testing to be done on all of Don's major organs - heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc. to make sure they are strong enough for the stem cell transplant.  I would imagine that will be taking place sometime in the next month.Please pray that God will strengthen these vital organs.
     Don continues to work at least 5 hours a day - sometimes they are turning into longer days with meetings, etc.  He loves being able to continue with his work and ministry.
     We were surprised and excited to realize that the newspaper article in the Akron Beacon Journal was picked up by many other newspapers around the country.  It has appeared in Washington state, Idaho, Florida, Canada, California and many more.  We have received several phone calls and letters from people who read the article and were encouraged by it or have endured Multiple Myeloma themselves and wanted to encourage us!  It has been very interesting to hear people's stories.  Don will share more about them when he has time to write a longer post.
     Please pray for us as we get closer to the next couple of hurdles - the testing of major organs and the stem cell collection itself.  Pray that everything would go smoothly so that there will be no delays in scheduling the transplant.  But we also pray that God's hand would be in the timing of everything. 
     Don's pain has become more intense in the hips - it is usually quite acute in the morning and evening.  We are thankful it is only during those times because this gives him several hours during the day when he is at work that are relatively pain free.  However, it does make mornings and evenings hard to get through. I have so much more empathy for people who live with chronic pain - some who have even lived with it for years.
    Don will write soon - most likely after our appointment on Wednesday when we hope to learn more information.  Until then,  grace and peace be to you all.
     Love, Marcie and Don