O/T For my pals following my husband's lymphoma UPDATE

[juliekei]

Sending you and your husband much love and strength for the coming months. I am glad to know you have each other...

[orcasres]

Wishing only the very best for both of you. Steve has a good team taking care of him; please take some time to take care of yourself.

Lois

[mackswife]

Bev - Yes, we care! Many thanks to you for sharing. Please be encouraged by the love that is coming your way from your friends here. I look forward to hearing the happy ending to your story of courage. Pattie

[Cat]

Bless your hearts. Feel this big hug I'm sending...
Cat
dx 2010 stage 111 cc
currently ned

[Val*pal]

Wow, that does sound so scient fiction-like! Plus, I don't find it reassuring, as you said, that life boils down to what looks like a cold summer drink.

Hang in there, Bev. I'm sending positive vibes for you and your husband.

Val

[amm0723]

I will be keeping you and your husband in my prayers. Stay strong.

[dianetavegia]

That sounds great. Glad Steve can look forward to teaching!
HAVE you found help for around the house with his after care? I hope so. We don't want you getting run down!

Thanks for the updates! I look for them when I stop by!
Diane

[CRguy]

Glad things are moving ahead on a more positive note Bev.

The ebb and flow of what we deal with for sure, but keep the wind at your back.
Wouldn't some clear sailing be nice for a change ?

Cheers and Harmony
CRguy

[abuttigi]

I couldn't stay in the room. He didn't want me to. They couldn't handle a second patient in there. So I went to the car and cried for 20 minutes while they infused the cells. Then.it.was.done.
Bev

I totally get this, Bev. As a nurse I'm sure you've seen everything under the sun, but seeing medicine practiced on someone you love is an entirely different ballgame. You've been such an amazing source of support for your husband, and the amount of strength you have is awe-inspiring. I hope things go smoothly in the next weeks, months, etc etc and you get time to rest and attend to your own needs. We're all here for you!

Angie

[kpjpmom]

Bev,
Thank you so much for keeping us posted on Steve. I follow your posts even though I do not post very often. I am praying for your strength. You and your husband have been through so much. Thank you for sharing your story with us here on the forum. May God hold you up during the difficult days ahead.

KPJPMOM (Beckie)

[Bev G]

Hello friends,

I'm posting a brief update on Steve. This has become sort of your basic nightmare, but I try to tell myself it's all predictable. He's on transplant day +8 now, and the situation is scary. He has ZERO white cells. His platelet count keeps dropping, despite a couple of transfusions. It was down to 5K this morning and he is getting transfused again. He has bedsores on his elbows. He spiked one very high fever (expected) and they did a whole fever work-up, which was, thank God, completely negative. The worst I guess is that he has severe mucocitis, with awful lesions from his mouth all the way down his esophagus. He is on IV morphine round the clock, with additional doses via PCA. He hasn't been able to eat anything in about 4 days. He has milkshakes which they slip protein powder in (he doesn't want protein powder!!?!??) He should not try to talk but he does anyway and it is impossible to understand him, which is so frustrating for him and everyone trying to understand him. Typically the white cells appear on day +9-+11, so I am praying he will turn the corner in the next day or so. His doctors think it may be a bit later because of the bad shape his marrow is in from all the chemo.

On an incredibly wonderful note, our previous office manager from the practice in Burbank, who became a surrogate daughter to us during the years she worked with us, will be coming here to help me care for Steve "whenever I want" and will stay as long as I want her to. She actually cried when I asked her if she could come and said she had been praying I would ask her to come. I was just absolutely overwhelmed by her generosity and love. It is nearly impossible for me to ask for help, and to have had that request to awesomely received was an incredible miracle to me. I think she's saved me!

Warmest thanks to all of you precious people for the well wishes and prayers. Please keep up the prayers.

Love,

Bev

[mymom]

Thinking of you both and glad you are getting assistance. That will make a world of difference.

[luvmymom]

We are right here with you, Bev. My mom is just barely done with her rectal cancer treatment, and my dad now has lymphoma, but it is primary brain lymphoma. It came out of nowhere, it came on in weeks, and because it's a brain tumor it took his cognitive and physical abilities. My mom has been with my dad, bouncing back and forth between the hospital and rehab hospital for a month as he gets high dose chemo that hopefully restores some quality of life for some time (he is not eligible for a stem cell transplant). I have a small baby and my ability to help is limited. Mom scans next week. If they find something, I have absolutely no idea what I will do.

My heart really goes out to you, and I just wanted you to know, at least, that you aren't alone.

[pollo65]

Bev,
I just don't know how you do it. Praying for strength and good outcomes for the both of you.
pollo 65

[annalexandria]

Thinking nothing but good thoughts for you both! May the next few days bring some changes in the right direction.
Big hugs~AA