28.9!

Clinic visits were very quick so they could move a week's worth of patients through in just a couple of days.  Eric just donated a few vials of blood and we were able to leave.  Thirty minutes later, through the magic of the internet, we were able to see his lab results.  His hematocrit is 28.9!  Normal is 41-53, so 28.9 may not seem like much.  But since Eric's has been hovering around 26 and 27 for weeks, this is great news!  Eric is feeling so strong he will probably want to go snowshoeing Christmas morning.  We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

p.s.

I forgot to mention that the bone marrow biopsy and the blood tests did not have any signs of cancer!  Not even one cancer cell was detected!

Pretty Exciting Stuff Today!

Today was a long day at LDS Hospital.  After the usual round of drawing blood and talking to the physician's assistant, we met with two of the Bone Marrow Transplant clinic's doctors.  They gave us a thorough walk through of the results from the procedures Eric has had in the past week: extra blood work, bone marrow biopsy, chest x-ray, and pulmonary function test.  Everything is looking good and we are feeling very positive, so I will share several of the highlights from today.

Eric has not shown any indications of graft versus host disease (rejection of the stem cell transplant) so they are going to start tapering his anti-rejection medication.  This is very exciting because it means fewer pills for Eric to swallow, he will have fewer tremors and less swelling in his extremities, and his immune system will start to build up.  If all goes well the taper will take nine months, so we really hope all goes well!

Eric has been tolerating his oral magnesium well, so today his central line was removed!  It was inserted on August 19, so Eric has had to put up with it on the right side of his chest for quite awhile.  When the site has healed, Eric will be able to shower without applying a protective covering over the area and he will also be able to take a bath.  This should also make it easier for him to sleep.  It takes about a week to heal, so Eric is really looking forward to taking a bath on Christmas day--a great present!

And last but not least, we found out how far along in the engraftment process the stem cell transplant is.  The bone marrow biopsy suggested that 96% of the bone marrow is now being produced by Eric's sister Debbie's stem cells.  There is still a lot of fibrosis in the bone marrow, but it is gradually being reduced as the healthy donor stem cells stimulate new bone marrow and new blood cell production.  In contrast, Eric's blood work analysis determined that only 67% of his blood originates from Debbie's stem cell transplant.  But upon further testing in the lab, the blood sample came back XX, so it is obviously Debbie's.

We feel very blessed that things have gone so well for us and that we received such great news today!  Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. 

Day 104 and counting

Next week is Eric's big doctor's appointment where they reveal how well his stem cell transplant is doing.  Today, in anticipation of that, and to collect pertinent information, Eric had not only a large number of blood draws but also a bone marrow biopsy and a chest x-ray.  Next week he will have a pulmonary function test before meeting with his doctor.

If everything is going well, and it is anticipated that will be the consensus, Eric's central line will be removed right after his doctor's appointment.  They will also start tapering him off of some of his anti-rejection medications.  I am not sure which Eric is looking forward to more--getting his central line removed so that he can bathe and shower without restrictions or reducing the medication that makes his hands shake and his legs swell.

I will try to remember everything that we learn next week so that I can post it.  Of great interest to me will be how far Eric's type A blood has transitioned toward his sister Debbie's type O blood.  It will probably be somewhere in the middle of the transition.  Right now the conflict between the two blood types is what keeps Eric's hematocrit (red blood cell count) low and flat. 

Stay tuned.

Wahoo!

Big day at the clinic!  Eric asked if he was still under such a strict quarantine.  The doctor replied that if Eric was going crazy at home, he could go to a movie!  IF it is a mid-week matinee, and IF he doesn't touch anything, and IF he wears his hepa filter.  And IF there aren't any other people in the theater, Eric can TAKE OFF HIS FILTER so that he can actually see the movie!  Pretty exciting!

Besides the great news in the previous paragraph, Eric is now taking his magnesium orally instead of getting it through a drip into his central line.  This is a big step forward because a lot of people can't tolerate oral magnesium and have to stay with the central line drip for a long time.  If Eric continues to do well, they will remove the central line in a couple of weeks.  At that point Eric will be able to take baths and shower without taping "press and seal" wrap to his chest to cover the central line.

Last week Eric received another prescription for a diuretic and started wearing thigh high prescription compression socks to fight the edema (swelling from fluid retention) in his legs.  He has much more flexibility in his joints and less pressure in his legs now.  Eric is very happy with this new development!

Next week is his long-awaited Day 100 appointment.  It will be a long clinic visit with all sorts of extra tests.  The following week we find out how far along Eric is in the process of his blood/bone marrow changing in response to the stem cell transplant from his sister Debbie.  If the progress is sufficient, the BMT doctors will start tapering the anti-rejection medications and eventually life will become more normal.  Exciting times! 

Happy Thanksgiving

Great news at the clinic today.  Eric's hematocrit is finally starting to go up!  It is a full point higher than it was last week.  I will soon have a hard time keeping up with Eric on our walks each morning.  Everything else is looking good also.

We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.  It has almost been six months since Eric was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.  Since then he has had two rounds of low dose chemo, one round of killer chemo, a bone marrow transplant, and now is well on the way to recovery.  We have met so many people with variations of bone marrow cancer who have languished in the medical system.  They have endured many rounds of aggressive chemo, or are still waiting for a donor, or have had setbacks since their bone marrow transplant.  We don't know why we have been so fortunate so far, but we are grateful.

Eric and I are thankful for all the love and support we have received from family and friends.  We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the kindness shown to us.  We are grateful for the prayers offered on our behalf.  I wish there were a way to express how much we love and appreciate each person who has impacted our lives for good, but all I can think to say is, may God bless you.

From Eric:

I echo MaryLynn's expressions of gratitude above.  In this regard, give some thought to the word "awareness."  There is much good going on around us that sustains us from moment to moment -- things such as sufficient energy to undertake the tasks of the day, the ability to consume and digest our food and to draw strength from it, our immune system's immediate response to threats to our health, and the power to read and reason.  I didn't think much on these good things until each was compromised as a result of my illness. 

Now, I am very "aware" of these seemingly simple aspects of daily life.  As my body repairs, I am conscious of positive (and at times negative) changes.  My hope is to remain "aware" of these small things that, as I have learned from experience, have immense consequences.  May none of you attain "awareness" in the manner I have.  Rather, for this Thanksgiving, examine the small things -- be "aware" -- and let the proper measure of gratitude move your heart to acknowledge forces greater than our conscious will that sustain us.  For me, I thank God for his love and "awareness" of me.  Take care and have a happy Thanksgiving. 

Best Day Ever

Sadly, Eric's numbers are all pretty much the same.  But who cares?  We were in the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic for less than an hour!!!  Do you have any idea how huge that is?  We were ecstatic!  If we were the kind of people who sing in the car, we would have been singing the entire way home!

This past week we have seen some great improvements.  Eric's skin tone is great, his legs are not as swollen and stiff, he has been sleeping better at night, and his luxuriant hair is starting to come back!  (Feel free to look up the definition of luxuriant.)

On Saturday, we tried out the route that was our go-to walk most Saturdays before Eric's diagnosis of cancer.  We haven't done it since the beginning of June.  It was a cold, drizzly, windy morning but we completed the almost four mile walk in an hour and fifteen minutes!  That is only ten minutes more than our usual pace if we aren't in a hurry.  Not bad for a guy whose hematocrit is only 26.  Eric didn't even slow down on the hills.  He is quite the guy and I am so proud of him!

From Eric re: typical day -- Eat, walk, shower, read, edit (draft historical materials), eat, clean and annotate (photos), read, eat, watch TV and read.  In between, I occasionally visit with folks by phone or in person .  I am not contagious so feel free to drop by (assuming you are not contagious).  Thanks for all of the support.

"Two steps forward, one step back" is getting old

Eric had his weekly clinic appointment and lab draw yesterday.  The great news is that his hematocrit went up .8, all the way to a still anemic 26.2!  But up is up, and we are really happy because this is the first time since the stem cell transplant that Eric's hematocrit has gone up without a blood transfusion.

Eric's neutrophils and white blood cells are down, but not significantly.  Eric's has a little swelling and stiffening in his ankles and his blood pressure is up a bit so the doctor ordered a diuretic yesterday.  It is nice to add a cheap (it was free!) drug without any major side effects (just taking more bathroom breaks!) to the arsenal of expensive and complicated drugs he is now taking.  I try not to read the multiple pages of side effects that come with each of Eric's drugs. 

No complaints.  Eric is doing great.  We walk at least 50 minutes every morning.  Eric is getting a lot of reading done and is enjoying listening to a variety of music.  He is eating better, gaining some weight, improving muscle tone, and looking good!

Zigs and Zags

We were warned at the outset that cancer takes its own course and that each individual's path is different.  We also were warned that recovery from cancer is never a smooth path, but two steps forward and one step back.  Fortunately for us, Eric's recovery has been uneventful so far.  The doctors only concern today was that Eric's hematocrit is dropping rather than rising.  He is still walking vigorously every morning and moving around well, so they did not give him a transfusion.  But they did draw a lot more blood from him so that they could run additional tests to see why his red blood cells aren't bouncing back.  The most likely culprit is that Eric's A+ blood is competing with Debbie's O+ blood.  We have not heard back from the Bone Marrow Transplant clinic that his additional blood work showed any problems, so we are not too worried.  I can pull up his lab results from their website, but all those lovely numbers don't mean a whole lot to me.  Ignorance is bliss.

Today is Day 70 since the stem cell transplant, so Eric was able to drop his least favorite medicine-an antifungal.  No, he didn't get to pick which pill to drop, he was just lucky that the first pill scheduled to become obsolete was also the one that was the hardest to swallow.  He also gets to go with a lower dose of magnesium, which means it won't take four hours for it to drip into his central line.  If his magnesium levels continue to improve he will eventually graduate to pills and I won't have to hook him up every afternoon.

Thanks for checking the blog.  We are doing well and have a great daily routine.  We appreciate your thoughts and prayers on our behalf.

Slow and steady wins the race

Our big fear going to the clinic today was that Eric would have to have a four-hour whole blood transfusion.  He has been on the borderline for two weeks, and if his hematocrit dropped even .1, we knew we would be held hostage at the bone marrow transplant clinic all day.  Happily, his hematocrit went up .4, meaning we were in and out of the clinic in less than two hours AND his blood work is all headed in a positive direction now.  Great news!

The doctors love to ask us if we are still getting out walking because they are so happy to see their star patient doing so well.  On Saturday we did our first hour long walk, and it felt great!  Eric had a dream that he was swimming, and was probably a little sad when he woke up to the reality that it is going to be a long time until he can swim.  But boy can he walk!


When we were still in the hospital and each day seemed like an eternity, they told us that on Day 70 Eric would stop taking one of the preventative medications he has been on since the transplant.  That seemed so far away and out of our reach.  Today they told us that next week is the big day, and that on Day 100 they will start taking Eric off of more medicines.  Day by day we may not see many differences, but week by week, and now month by month the improvements are amazing!

Big leap forward

Today was Eric's weekly visit to the bone marrow transplant clinic.  His platelet count doubled in one week!  Pretty impressive.  His neutrophils and white blood counts are good, but his hematocrit level continues to drop.  The doctor doesn't seem too worried about his low red blood cell count because Eric isn't showing signs of being too anemic.  We take a brisk (temperature and speed) walk each morning, averaging 45 to 50 minutes.  Eric hasn't felt extra weak or light-headed as his hematocrit has dropped.  He may have a transfusion next week if it is even lower than it is now.

Eric's neutrophils and white blood cell numbers are so good we asked why he still has to be cloistered.  The doctor explained that Eric is taking high doses of immune suppressing medications that would make it very difficult for his body to fight off even the most mundane infection.  So we still request that visitors be healthy and immunized.

We also asked about how much sun exposure Eric could have.  We had been told to avoid all sun exposure by a different doctor, so we were curious.  Our doctor today said that there are several factors (residual effects from chemo, graft vs. host disease, reactions to medications) that make it crucial that Eric avoid sunburn, or even more than just a little sun exposure.  But she did say that if Eric was well covered up (easy enough to do when it is 30 degrees outside) we could walk in the morning after the sun comes up instead of before it comes up as we have been doing.  Great news!

Short and sweet

After a painfully long bone marrow transplant clinic visit last week, we were blessed to have a mercifully short visit today.  Short visits really improve our mood, even if we were to get bad news.  But such was not the case with this visit--it was all good news!

Eric's weight continues to climb, his complexion continues to even out, and his blood work continues to improve.  Neutrophils, white blood cells and platelets are up.  Red blood cells are about the same. They would have given Eric a blood transfusion today if we had pressed for one, but since that would have added four hours to our short and sweet visit, we declined.  Since Eric continues to go for long walks every morning even though he is severely anemic, we all agreed that it was better to take a "wait and see" approach on any more transfusions unless his numbers drop significantly.

I am sorry for you, dear reader, that the last few blogs have been boring.  But for myself, I love being able to check off another week on the road to recovery without any excitement or drama.  Hooray for boring!

Long lackluster day

I wish I had something amazing to report, but if you want amazing you will have to read someone else's blog.  At Eric's check up today we found out that his neutrophils were the exact same as they were last week and his platelets and hemactocrit had both dropped.  That was a bit depressing and meant we had to spend an extra four hours at the hospital so that Eric could have a blood transfusion.  He only needed one unit of blood, so we really can't complain too much.

On the positive side, Eric's skin tone is almost back to normal after the discoloration from the chemotherapy.  Eric's weight is up and his overall white blood count was up.  We also both got a lot of reading done today!

We will continue to have weekly appointments for the foreseeable future AND today we made the appointment for Eric's 100 day check up in December.  Our coordinator told us that at the 100 day check up they do tests that let them know how much of Eric's blood is his and how much is Debbie's.  I don't know how it all works, but it sounds pretty intriguing.  After all we have been through, we are expecting some pretty amazing super powers!

Headed in the right direction

Eric had his weekly doctor's appointment this morning.  Things are looking really good.  His neutrophils are up to 3.1, which is amazing.  Other components of Eric's blood work are also improving but his platelets and red blood cells are staying the same.  That leaves him tired and prone to bleeding, but fortunately he still gets out and walks every day and is building up his strength.

So the prognosis for the long term is good.  Short term, we need to be patient because it takes time for bone marrow to build back up to normal.  Having survived five weeks in a hospital room without going crazy, we hope it will be easier to be patient now that we are home and have a little bit more freedom of movement and a more extensive menu.

Eric is making all the other cancer patients look bad

When we checked out of the hospital on Monday, the Bone Marrow Transplant clinic set up lab draw appointments for every day this week.  The schedule was a tad depressing, having to go back to LDS hospital every single day, but at least Eric was out of the hospital.

Tuesday Eric's blood work was so good (neutrophils up to .7) they decided we could skip coming to the hospital on Wednesday and just show up for the lab draw and check up on Thursday. 

Today Eric's blood was so amazing (his neutrophils are up to 1!) the doctor decided we could cancel all of the daily lab draws and just come back next Wednesday for a lab draw and check up.  What great news!

Unless something dramatic or exciting happens (and I hate drama and excitement!) I probably won't update the blog until after our appointment next Wednesday, so I thought I would just give a few insights into what our life is like now that we are home.

We go for a half hour walk each morning, and move much faster than we did before entering the hospital.  Eric doesn't have to wear his hepa filter outdoors unless it is windy or he might encounter groups of people.  So far, the only people outside during our walk times have been kids going to the junior high bus stop, so I don't think we have to worry too much about crowds of people at 7:00 a.m.  Eric also has to be careful to avoid the sun.  Exposure to more than minimal sunlight can cause Graft Versus Host Disease to develop, so Eric is wearing a cap with long flaps that hang down to cover his ears and back.  So if you see a suspicious looking character with a weird mask and cap in our neighborhood, please don't call the police.  It is just Eric out for a walk.

Food is not as exciting as it once was for Eric.  Strong flavors and spicy food are unpleasant and will continue to be unpleasant until his taste buds get back to normal.  Day to day Eric has noticed that things are less "off" than they used to be.  Water only tastes mildly disgusting now, which makes it easier for Eric to get the amount of liquids he needs to protect his various organs that are stressed by either the chemo he had a month ago or the meds he is on now.  He is already tired of me cheering him on to eat and drink more, but he is starting to slowly put on weight.

All of Eric's medications are now oral except for his daily dose of magnesium.  Each afternoon I have to clean his central line, flush it out, and attach a softball sized plastic ball filled with magnesium to the central line.  Four hours later the plastic ball has deflated as the magnesium has flowed into Eric's bloodstream through the central line.  I then clean it, flush it, put in heparin (which keeps it open so it doesn't clot up) and cap it off.  Great fun and pretty amazing! 

After five weeks in a hospital room, Eric is enjoying having an entire house to wander through, his own recliner, a TV with more options, lots of books to read, food that doesn't have to ordered from a limited menu cafeteria 45 minutes before he wants it, easier access to the internet, and his own bed. 

As far as visitors go, any adult that is healthy and hasn't been exposed to someone who isn't healthy can come visit.  Just don't expect any hugs or handshakes.  Half of our family room is Eric's half and the other half is for visitors, and we don't mix it up.  Eric would love calls and visits because he has a lot more energy and focus than he did before his stem cell transplant.  I would say he is back to about where he was in the middle of June.

What do we anticipate in the future?  It will take a long time for Eric's body to recover from the cancer and the chemotherapy.  Debbie's stem cells are working hard, but it will take many, many months before Eric's immune system is fully functioning.  It will also be many, many months until he is back to full strength.  From what we have heard and read, we will feel very fortunate if Eric's immune system and body are full strength in a year.  We have been warned that it can take two to five years.  And, the doctors warn of detours and side effects many recovering stem cell recipients experience.  Of course, as we all know, Eric is very determined and will always try to be ahead of the curve.  You just can't keep him down!

What a difference five weeks makes

Monday, August 19, Eric was admitted to LDS hospital to prepare for and receive a bone marrow transplant in hopes of curing his bone marrow cancer.

Monday, September 23, five weeks later, Eric was discharged from LDS hospital.  During those weeks he had four days of high dosage chemotherapy to kill his bone marrow and the cancer.  On August 28 he received the bone marrow transplant, which consisted of an IV drip of stem cells harvested from his sister Debbie's blood. 

As of this Monday, Eric is 30 pounds lighter and looking slim and trim.  His appetite is increasing even though his taste buds are still messed up from the chemo (a bitter after taste for most foods).  Eric is pain free and nausea free.  And best of all, now that Eric is home he can sleep in peace without worrying that anyone will interrupt to administer meds, take vitals or draw blood for labs!

Now we just wait to see what happens next.  The doctor warned us that it is not unusual to be readmitted to the hospital a few times during the healing process in order to fight the infections that are bound to occur.  Graft Versus Host Disease could also occur at any time, so we have carefully monitor anything unusual like changes in skin, increases of temperature, and change in bodily functions.  We will be returning to the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic numerous times so that Eric's blood work can be checked.  And every time his blood is checked we get a report so that we can watch as Debbie's awesome stem cells help Eric to develop new bone marrow that is cancer free.  Today his neutrophils are up to .7, prompting the doctors to call off tomorrow's scheduled blood draw.  Eric's platelets and red blood cells are doing so well that he may not have to receive any more transfusions!  It is a miracle!

From Eric:  I can't begin to tell you how amazing and humbling it is to be out of the confines of a hospital room and back in my own home.  It is an immense blessing!  I am confident that, absent the encouragement, kindness and prayers of so many, things would not have progressed to this point in such a positive way.  Please accept my love and gratitude for every good wish, loving deed and word of hope and faith.  I am still somewhat isolated and confined:  stay in the house is the rule, but walks in the neighborhood, drives, visits from healthy adults and activities that do not expose me unduly to potential infection are all permitted.  Thus, I would love to hear from or see any or all of you.  Rest  assured that in every way I can I have attempted to return your love and put each of you in my thoughts and prayers.

Quick update

Eric's neutrophils are up to .5 so we are still scheduled for discharge from the hospital Monday.  Can't wait!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good--Eric is a free man today!  At 1:00 p.m. he was officially unhooked from his Siamese twin the IV pole.  They have been constant companions for almost five weeks.  The IV pole has been his faithful sidekick through this whole amazing process.  It has been much more loyal to Eric than I have been.  It has been there for every walk, every shower, every nap, every meal, morning, noon and night.  The IV pole's constancy through the good times and the bad puts me to shame.  I can never hope to compete with its five week attachment to Eric.

The Bad--After a week of climbing ever higher, Eric's neutrophils plunged from yesterday's high of .7 to .4 this morning.  Why are neutrophils so fickle?  Why can't they have the loyalty and devotion of an IV pole?

The Ugly--Two words:  hospital food.  To elaborate with six words:  Five straight weeks of hospital food!

Must be time to go home cause I'm almost out of chocolate

Eric called me first thing this morning to brag that his neutrophil count was .6!  Incredible!  The head doctor visited with us today to share the good news that now that Eric's count is .5 or higher, he is considered "engrafted."  That means Debbie's stem cells have taken hold and are growing rapidly enough that they can measure the growth.

Eric still has to be weaned away from his IV stand, which is all that is preventing him from going home.  He has become so attached to it over the past month!  Today they took away his IV nutrition bag because Eric can now consume enough calories on his own.  He isn't quite up to drinking enough water for them to take away his hydration bag, but should be there tomorrow.  And then it is a matter of changing all of his IV medications to pills.  Some of the pills are hard on the system so it takes a little time for the adjustment.

The most exciting news from the doctor was that Eric could leave the 8th floor of LDS hospital and go outside!  Eric entered the hospital on August 19, and now on September 18, he was able to finally exit the hospital.  For the past few weeks Eric has had to wear a gown over his clothes, a mask with a filter, and gloves every time he left his room.  The doctor told him if he dressed up in all his protective gear he could leave the building as long as he stayed on the hospital property.  I think the doctor thought Eric would stand in the entryway of the hospital, smell the fresh air through his filter, and come back in since he was still attached to his IV pole.  Not our Eric!  With two of his walking buddies he made a run for it and walked several blocks, dressed in his protective gear and dragging an IV stand!

To quote the doctor, it is possible that Eric will be discharged Friday but probable that he will be discharged on Monday.  Discharging a bone marrow transplant recipient is cumbersome, so they don't tend to do it on the weekend.  Either way, we are pretty excited to think that our hospital stay is almost over.  Good thing, because I am almost out of chocolate!  (Not a plea for more chocolate.  Eric is the one who needs to gain weight, not me!)

Amazing!

I answered my phone early this morning and was shocked to hear Eric.  It was MY Eric, the one who is upbeat and lively in the morning.  The Eric who has an adrenaline high from swimming a mile and wishes it was noon so he could go walking for an hour.  The difference between this Eric and the Eric I have been talking to first thing in the morning for the past month is dramatic.

Eric had a good night of sleep last night!  Ever since about the middle of June Eric hasn't been able to sleep more than an hour at a time.  At first his pain was too great to sleep comfortably.  Then the problems with nausea and other health issues interfered.  At the hospital he has been hooked up to so many IVs it was impossible to sleep for very long without something needing to be changed out or developing problems.  Eric is down to just a few IVs and the pain and nausea are gone.  Last night Eric only woke up twice!  That is huge!

Also, Eric's neutrophils are up to .4 this morning!  That is also huge!  Ever day his blood counts are getting better and Eric can tell that his body is healing.  Yesterday Eric had three very small meals.  Today he had a big bowl of oatmeal and raisins for breakfast.  What a blessing!

My how time flies when you are having fun

Tomorrow it will be four weeks since Eric was admitted to LDS hospital.  Days can seem long, but the four weeks have flown by.  Eric in the hospital is our new normal and it will be interesting to see how we adapt when Eric comes home.

Speaking of coming home, Eric's neutrophil count was .2 on Saturday and .3 today!  We are so excited!  He just has to make it to .5 in order to be considered for discharge.  So far Eric hasn't had any pain with the growth of the new cells in his bone marrow cavities.  In fact, tonight they are taking Eric off of the pain meds they were giving him for the mouth sores and other GI track woes.

Eric also started eating today after a week of nourishment through his IV.  His first solid food was when two sets of husband and wife missionaries brought us the sacrament.  That seemed like an excellent way to start back on food, and we were both pleased that he tolerated it well.  From there Eric ate a small container of applesauce, two bites of a banana, a saltine cracker, and two club crackers--all carefully spaced throughout the day.  His doctor teased Eric that it would be a long time weaning him off of the IV nourishment if he only ate 10 calories a day.  Having lost 25 pounds, Eric is lean and not so mean.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  We know they have made a difference.  Thank you also for your calls, visits, emails and notes.  Eric and I have felt very loved and remembered.  So many of you have made a difference in our ability to cope with the challenges we have faced.  We love every one of you!

In particular I want to mention three very special men who have each visited Eric dozens of times.  They have listened to Eric's woes, given Eric something to look forward to, kept Eric's spirits up, walked laps with him around the nurses' station, and given me some free time.  It would be amazing to have one friend like this, but to have three is a miracle.  I don't want to mention them by name, but Jeff, Tom and Steve, you know who you are!

Small But Good

The next step in Eric's recovery is finding evidence that Debbie's stem cells are now growing in Eric's bone marrow cavities.  Since it would be rather painful to open up his bones and take a peek, they monitor his blood every day looking for evidence of neutrophils, which are a component of white blood cells. 

Wednesday was the first day the lab could find any neutrophils in Eric's blood, and it was .1, which I guess is as low as they can be without being the familiar 0 we have had until Wednesday.  The doctor told us not to be disappointed if Thursday's count was back down to 0 because it is not unusual for neutrophils to mess with your mind like that.  Fortunately, they stayed at .1 on Thursday, which led us to believe they might actually go up on Friday to .11, or maybe even .12!  But those silly little neutrophils aren't budging.  Three days in a row they have been .1! 

We have heard rumors that Eric can go home when the neutrophils reach .5, so you can understand the frustration of three days in a row at .1  The doctors have reassured us that they want the neutrophils to come in slowly or they will cause the same bone pain that Eric experienced with the cancer cells when they were growing vigorously in his bone marrow cavities. 

Patience is a virtue, and one that we have been aggressively pursuing, trying to achieve it quickly so we can hurry on to the next virtue.  I should never update the blog after 9:00 p.m.!  Good night folks!

You have to experience the bad in order to appreciate the good

I had intended to update the blog yesterday because it marked three weeks in the hospital, but I just didn't have the heart to do it.  Sunday and Monday were pretty tough for Eric.  The mouth sores continued to get worse until Eric's entire lower face was swollen.  On Sunday he was only able to drink two protein drinks and that evening they hooked him up through his IV to a nutrition supplement.

Eric hasn't had any nutrition by mouth since then.  We have been assured by the medical staff that almost all chemo patients at some point have to switch to total nutrition through their IV because of mouth sores.  It hurts to swallow, so Eric has a suction tube to vacuum out his mouth when the saliva builds up. 

Oddly enough, now that Eric isn't trying to swallow either food or saliva, he is feeling better.  His mouth and digestive tract are having a chance to rest, and that has made Eric less anxious because eating had become such a burden that he dreaded meal times.  Eric has also gotten on top of the pain and is sleeping better.

Today Eric was really in the zone and doing great!  His mouth sores are still terrible and he has developed some interesting rashes, but he is cheerful, energetic and funny.  He looks better than a cancer patient has a right to look.  One of the nurses told Eric that he had had a good ride so far, and another just shook his head when he saw what Eric was reading (non-fiction 19th century Utah history) and said that no one else has been able to read those kind of books when they are at the stage Eric is at. 

I came in from scrounging up some supper and found Eric telling two male nurses about hiking in southern Utah.  The nurses were on the edge of their seats, listening to Eric's stories.  Thanks to kind friends and family, Eric's room is full of pictures of southern Utah, and he would point to various pictures and tell where it was taken and the highlights of that particular place.  It was pretty funny to observe.


We are still waiting for Eric's neutrophils (part of the white blood cell count) to start growing.  They are at 0 right now, and as they start to develop they will indicate the stem cell transplant was a success and that his new immune system is starting to develop.  Once the neutrophils starts to add up the mouth sores will go away, Eric will feel better, and we will be almost ready to head home.  Hooray!

Long Day

The good news first:  The doctor today said that Eric has done "phenomenally well".  She also reminded us that starting today his white blood cell count should start to increase and in a few days he would have his current phase behind him.

The bad news is that he is feeling pretty crummy.  He has finally started to develop the mouth sores that plague most chemo patients.  We had hoped to be among the lucky few who never develop them, but at least Eric's didn't start up until just a few days before they start to diminish because of the rising white blood cell count.  Some people have mouth sores for a couple of weeks.  Ouch!

Eric's mouth was bothering him so much he didn't even care that his hair finally started falling out today and that this evening he threw up everything he had eaten for the past few hours.  Normally either of those two events would have been troubling to him.

The odd thing was that after throwing up, Eric started feeling better and more at peace with the whole process.  We know it is temporary.  We know that Eric has had fewer side effects than the majority of cancer patients  And we know that the bad part is almost over.  I think Eric was tired of feeling crummy all day, and after he threw up he just kind of said to himself, "Enough with the feeling crummy.  I am just going to mellow out, get some sleep, and I will feel better in the morning."

What now?

Eric has been in the hospital for two weeks now, and the minimum length of time we were quoted was four weeks, so we could be halfway done!  Or not, since the maximum length of time we were quoted was six weeks.  So what is Eric still doing in the hospital if he received the stem cells almost a week ago?

We are now playing a waiting game.  There are two things that the doctors are waiting for before Eric can be released.  First, the chemotherapy caused his blood counts to crash because it killed his bone marrow.  Now the donor stem cells are slowly starting to produce new bone marrow.  It will take awhile before the new bone marrow multiplies enough to make sufficient blood cells to keep Eric going.  In particular, the doctors worry about his immune system because of the lack of white blood cells.  They can give him whole blood to raise his hematocrit, and they can give him platelets, but they can't give him a transfusion of white blood cells.  So we have to wait until his immune system is strong enough for Eric to survive in our germ filled home.

The other thing we are waiting for is to see if Eric develops something called Host Versus Graft Disease.  This is what happens if the body starts to reject the stem cell transplant.  Acute HVGD will show up in the next few weeks.  Chronic HVGD can occur anytime in the next few years.  HVGD can be mild and easily treated or it can be serious and very difficult to treat.  Eric is checked out thoroughly multiple times a day so they can detect the very first symptoms of anything going wrong.

Amazingly, Eric is doing great.  He hasn't even lost his hair yet.  He is off of all pain medication and they are reducing his anti-nausea medications.  So far he hasn't developed any mouth sores, which are common, or rashes, or significant diarrhea.  Instead, he is gaining strength and stamina.  Eric's goal is to walk 25 minutes, three times a day.  It used to take him five laps around the hospital floor to walk for 25 minutes.  He has had to up it to six laps to walk 25 minutes, and in the near future it will be seven laps to make 25 minutes.

We have a pretty good routine going.  I am able to spend most of my time at the hospital, but still get the things done at home that are needed.  Neither of us has gone crazy from the sensory deprivation of a fairly small hospital room.  Eric is sick of the hospital food, but since nothing tastes good right now, that is to be expected.  I try to sneak in treats to him on a regular basis.  Tomorrow I am sneaking in a TV dinner because that is what he is craving at the moment.  Wish me luck!

Room change

Eric's room sprang a leak in the night so he has been moved to E801.  He is doing great.

Don't blink or you will miss it

There is a lot of hype about the day a bone marrow cancer patient receives his bone marrow transplant.  It is called "Day 0" and "your second birth day".  Prior to the big day the patient has a round of very aggressive chemotherapy to kill all the cancer cells, which pretty much kills all their bone marrow cells also.  With the aggressive chemo comes a lot of other aggressive drugs to protect your body from the chemo.  At times Eric's IV pole has looked like an over-decorated Christmas tree with numerous IV bags and pumps taking up every available inch. 

Yesterday, Day 0, his second birthday day, Eric didn't have a moment to himself.  In preparation for the bone marrow transplant he had even more pills to swallow, IV bags to be hung, injections into his central line to be given, vital signs to be taken.  Every time Eric tried to take a nap something new needed to be done or his IVs would start beeping.  It was a long day.

Finally, after all the build up, at 6:00 p.m. the Red Cross representative came in with a large box that contained Eric's  bone marrow transplant.  He very non-dramatically pulled out two small IV bags partially filled with bright red blood.  Our nurse hooked one up to Eric's IV and in 10 minutes it was gone.  He hooked up the next one and it disappeared just as fast.  It was all over before 6:30! 

That's it?  It all happened so quickly that it was a bit anticlimactic.  I don't know why they call it a bone marrow transplant because it is not bone marrow and it isn't a transplant.  It is stem cells dripping from an IV bag, which makes it an infusion.  It was so unremarkable that Eric could have easily slept through it.

And yet, because of something that seemed pretty small and unremarkable, something barely noticed amid all the other medical interventions and interruptions going on that day, Eric's life has been changed.  The bone marrow transplant team make no promises, but if things go well Eric has a fifty percent chance of being cancer free in five years.  There will be some ups and downs along the way, but Eric's life has been extended.  Pretty amazing.


Eric said it reminded him of the various scriptures where we are told that things that may seem small to us are the means the Lord uses to accomplish amazing things.  Two of my favorites are:

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 16:29 . . . And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:33  Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.  And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Happy Birth Day

Eric's mother, Joyce Olson, passed away almost a year ago.  She was an amazing woman.  I don't have room to list all of her qualities, but one that was very important to me was her generosity.  From the moment I met her she welcomed me into her home, her family, her life.  I never felt like an outsider, or even an in-law, but was always treated as a daughter.  Joyce had the ability to make everyone feel comfortable because she was so generous with her time, her attention, her love.

Eric is one of eight siblings.  One sibling has had cancer and was ineligible to be a stem cell donor for Eric.  Five were tested at LDS hospital within a few days of each other, and it was assumed that several would be partial matches.  With a partial match they could manipulate the blood to make it compatible with Eric's blood.  Not the best solution, but a manipulated partial match is better than no match.  To everyone's surprise none of the five were even close to being partial matches.  That left Debbie, who was out of state and having a hard time getting her cheek swab accepted by the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) clinic because of some bureaucratic mix ups.  They finally received her swab and were shocked to find out she was a perfect match.  So Eric isn't even close to partially matching five of his siblings, but is a perfect match with one sibling.

The interesting thing about Debbie is that of the five daughters of Joyce Olson, she is the only one who bears her name.  Debra Joyce.  And Debbie is just like her namesake in her generosity.  Debbie has a million and one wonderful things that she does to help others, but she took a break from them all so that she could be Eric's stem cell donor.  It has been expensive, time consuming, and hard on her physically.  And yet Debbie has cheerfully gone through a very tough few days and tried to laugh it off to make us feel better about it.  She doesn't want us to feel bad about how hard it has been on her or know how much it has inconvenienced her.

The BMT unit calls today, the day Eric received Debbie's stem cells, "Day 0".  They also call it the "second birth day" for stem cell recipients.  That is because it is the day they have another chance at life.  Almost 60 years ago Joyce Olson gave birth to Eric.  And today her daughter, Debra Joyce, gave Eric his second chance.  Giving birth is hard, something to be endured through the pain, but with the promise of a great reward afterward.  Eric and I are so grateful for the generosity of the women in the Olson family who have now given him two opportunities to live.

A small insight

In the New Testament there are examples of feet washing--either someone washing the Savior's feet, or Him washing the feet of his disciples.  I have usually heard these verses taught with the theme of repentance, humility, or service, depending upon who was doing the washing.  The person teaching the lesson almost always points out that only servants, the lowest of the low, wash feet. 

I have always thought there was a certain "ugh" factor to washing feet.  Feet are smelly, dirty, and fairly ugly.  No wonder only servants wash feet, and if anyone else chose to wash feet, they were doing it to prove a point.  It was distasteful and demeaning to them, but they would swallow their pride and do something for the greater good and to set an example.

Once Eric's cancer kept him at home, he started wearing flip flops instead of shoes and socks.  His feet quickly dried out and his heels began to crack.  One day Eric asked me if I would rub some lotion on his heels because he was in too much pain to bend far enough to put the lotion on himself.  I said sure, and several times a day I would rub either lotion or vaseline onto Eric's feet.

Last night at the hospital Eric told me that the nicest thing about his cancer has been me "playing around" with his feet.  It hit me that I didn't resent it all, and it wasn't distasteful to me.  I actually enjoyed it and would also rub lotion on his legs that were so dry and tired and painful.  I suddenly realized that I have been missing the point of the New Testament stories of washing feet.  The woman washed the Savior's feet because she loved him.  The Savior washed his disciples' feet because He loved them.  It wasn't distasteful, or demeaning, or something to be endured in order to make a point and set an example.  It was a gift freely given.

One week down, just a few more to go

A week ago Eric was admitted to LDS hospital.  Since then he has received five doses of aggressive chemotherapy, with the last one administered early Sunday morning.  He is now done with chemo.  Today and tomorrow there are not any scheduled medical events.  Wednesday Eric receives his stem cell transplant from his sister Debbie, who started receiving daily injections to stimulate stem cell growth in her blood on Saturday.

Eric is doing great. The anti-nausea drugs are really helping.  He is still walking his laps three times a day and is taking care of all of his daily needs on his own.  I have been so impressed with how well he has done! 

Thank you for your prayers!

And now we know the chemo is working

Eric has done amazing well through this whole cancer journey, including incarceration (I mean voluntary confinement) in a very small hospital room.  I never thought he would adapt so well to living in such a small space, but I guess fatigue, pain killers and sleep deprivation have helped immensely. 

In fact, he has done so well that on Friday afternoon, after having three rounds of killer chemo on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, we were beginning to wonder if the chemo was even working.  Then two of our sons joined us for a lovely picnic on Eric's bed.  They brought very fragrant Italian take-out which filled the room with an incredible aroma.  And suddenly we knew the chemo was working.

Stephen, Michael and I (and our lovely Italian take-out) were banished to the waiting room and the nurses rushed in with heavy duty anti-nausea medication.  Eric threw up several times, something he has not done for over 30 years.

So now we know.  The chemo is working.  Fortunately we live in a wonderful era of modern medicine.  The anti-nausea meds have worked great today.  Unfortunately they also put Eric to sleep almost immediately.  So we call the cafeteria and the nurse at the same time so that his food comes after the medication but before he falls asleep.  Eric has been able to eat something at each meal and keep it down, but he has slept most of the day.  The nurse told him he could choose:  vomit and stay awake, or keep food down and sleep.  Eric was amazed that he could just sleep through the days of nausea, so I am now married to Rip Van Winkle.

Eric has a self-imposed goal of walking three times a day for 30 minutes.  So even though the medicine was putting him to sleep, we did our walks.  First time I have ever seen anyone sleep walking.  And that is the truth.  Our nurse just laughed every time we passed her.

I just wanted to let you all know that we are doing great.  After a few months of not sleeping, Eric is now sleeping like a baby.  (Where does that phrase come from?  None of my children slept that great when they were babies.)  He is maintaining his weight, knows there are medications to control the nausea, is pretty much pain free, and is looking forward to hiking in southern Utah.

Eric's sister Debbie received her first injection today to stimulate the production of stem cells in her blood.  It was great to see her at the hospital today!  Wednesday is the big day, and we are so grateful to have made it this far with so few problems.  Thank you for your prayers.  We know we have been blessed.

So far, so good

Just a quick update to let you know that things are going well.  Eric had a dose of chemo Tuesday morning, and then another dose this morning.  He will have three more doses the next three days.  So far he is feeling better than expected.  His pain is well controlled, he is eating despite food not tasting nearly as good as it used to, and hasn't had any bad side effects from the chemo yet.

Eric has adjusted well to hospital life.  He is up early, showers and shaves, and dresses in his street clothes.  He takes three half hour walks around the east side of the 8th floor.  I thought he would be bored, but between medical attention, regular daily life, and the very welcomed visits from friends and family, our days pass very quickly. 

We both feel very blessed that things have gone so well.  As we have gotten to know the staff at LDS hospital we have been very impressed with their cheerful, "can do" attitude.  Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.  We know that they are being answered in numerous ways that make our life easier. 

The high dive was more like a jump into the kiddie pool

What one word sums up today?  Boring. 

We were at the hospital at 7:30 a.m., and getting there on time was the most excitement we had all day.  Eric received a unit of platelets before having the central line placement at about noon.  We were in his room at 3:00 p.m.  And it was as comfy as home by 3:30 p.m. The Bone Marrow Transplant team are all very nice and we have met several of the patients out on our walks around the floor.

Eric's room number is E808.  As I said, for the next few days it will be a little boring, so feel free to call or come by.  Just remember the ground rules:

Don't come if you are sick
Don't come if you have been around someone who is sick
Don't bring children
Don't bring flowers
Do call or text MaryLynn at 801 699-4152 to see how Eric is doing
Do bring a smile or dark chocolate

Thank you for all your kind words, thoughts and prayers.  Eric has mentioned numerous times that as he wanders from place to place at night he thinks about friends and family and feels comforted by those thoughts.

Tomorrow we jump off the high dive

Tomorrow is the big day!  Eric enters the hospital and won't leave again for 4 to 6 weeks.  It is a bit scary since this is all new to us and it sounds like it will be both challenging and boring.  But it is the first step on the road to recovery, so we are grateful that this day has arrived and we know that it will be worth it.  Many of you are just as clueless (cancer wise) as we are, so I am going to put down what we know, so far, that will be happening in the next couple of weeks.

August 19,  Day -9   Eric is admitted to LDS hospital.  They install a central line, which is "a thin flexible tube that is surgically placed into a large vein in the chest that leads to the heart and will have three lumens (or entrances) that will be used for administering fluids, chemotherapy, medications, and blood products."  Afterwards Eric will be given an anti-seizure medication, and that is it for the day.

August 20,  Day -8   Early in the morning Eric will be given his first dose of heavy chemo.  Afterwards blood will be drawn and sent immediately to a lab in Seattle where they will be able to analyze the chemo's effect on Eric's blood and decide the exact dosage that is best for Eric.  Pretty amazing. 

August 21,  Day -7   Rest day (no scheduled medical procedures awaiting Seattle results)

August 22,  Day -6   Two types of heavy chemo

August 23,  Day -5   Two types of heavy chemo

August 24,  Day -4   Two types of heavy chemo

August 25,  Day -3   Two types of heavy chemo

August 26,  Day -2   Rest day

August 27,  Day -1   Rest day

August 28,  Day 0   Eric receives the stem cell infusion from his sister Debbie.  They call Day 0 your second birthday because you get a second chance at life.  At this point Eric will basically not have any functioning bone marrow.  That means no immunity to infections, no energy from red blood cells, no ability to form blood clots in case of cuts or bruises.  Eric will receive multiple transfusions to keep him going until Debbie's stem cells start to form new bone marrow.  (An interesting piece of trivia:  Eric is blood type A+ and Debbie is O+.  Sometime after the stem cell infusion Eric will become O+.)  It takes awhile, so Eric will still be in the hospital for several more weeks until his immune system is strong enough for him to come home.

You can see from the above schedule that there will be a lot of down time.  For the first week Eric should be feeling okay, so if you are going to visit, do so in the first five or six days.  Just give me a call or text first to see how Eric is doing.  (801 699-4152)  I will continue to update the blog every few days so that you will know when he is starting to feel better after the stem cell infusion.

Eric's addendum:

I particularly like this quote from John Durham Peters, communications professor, from his book Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communications.  It captures from a slightly different angle my current perspective of the last several weeks.

"We are the great exception to the universe, the rare case, the completion of nature, the way the universe comes to self-consciousness.  The question should be, then, not how we break through the sludge of habit to rediscover the hidden strangeness of things, but how we ever managed to convince ourselves that anything was not a dissemination of intelligence.  Boredom is the amazing achievement, not wonder.  Our senses can catch only a narrow portion of the spectrum:  the cosmic rays, rainbows above or below the range of visible light or tectonic groans of the earth all elude us. . . .  We are immersed in a sea of intelligence that we cannot fully understand or even sense." 

Feeling overwhelmed

Let's start with feeling overwhelmed--the bad.  Today was "Educate the Olsons" day at LDS hospital.  WOW.  There is a lot to learn about cancer in general and bone marrow transplants in specific.  We met for an hour with one of the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) doctors and our coordinator.  They went over entire books (it seemed like) on procedures, medications, problems, scenarios, possibilities, and probabilities.  Then Eric had to sign his life away, multiple times. 

Then it was on to our meeting with a BMT nurse, who covered a lot of the same stuff and added more. 

Then it was on to our meeting with a BMT pharmacist, who covered a lot of the same stuff and added more.

Then it was on to our meeting with a BMT dietician, who covered a lot of the same stuff and added more.

After numerous hours of education we finally escaped.  On the way home we discussed our impressions, which were that the BMT team is AMAZING!  They are so knowledgeable, but very approachable.  They are very honest that this will be a challenging period in our lives that may last for years, but they also explained how experienced they are at treating all the various problems that may (and probably will) come up.  Eric and I feel like we are in good hands.

Schedule:  Eric is admitted to LDS on Monday, August 19 (designated as "Day -9" and they count down until "Day 0" which is August 28, the day Eric receives his stem cell infusion, kindly donated by his incredible sister Debbie.  After that they start into positive numbers.)  August 19 Eric has a central line installed for receiving chemo, IVs, medications, nourishment, and from which they can withdraw blood to test his body's reactions to all that is happening.  After receiving an anti-seizure drug Day -9, Eric will receive the first aggressive chemo early on Day -8. 

Visitors:  Eric can receive visitors anytime during the process, but there are restrictions.  No children are allowed.  All visitors must be healthy and not have been around anyone recently who isn't healthy.  Visitors have to scrub up well before and after being in Eric's room.  No live flowers or plants are allowed, so please don't bring or send any.  MaryLynn is accepting chocolate.  Weeks 2 and 3 will be the worst for Eric, so either come the first week, wait until a little later, or call or text me (801 699-4152) to see how Eric is doing before coming.

Let's finish up with feeling overwhelmed--the good.  Eric and I have been overwhelmed by the great kindnesses shown to us by friends and family.  We have been fed.  We have been entertained.  We have been prayed for.  We have had errands run for us and jobs done for us.  There isn't a way to adequately express how much we appreciate each one of you.

This past Sunday was exceptional.  Eric and I were able to skype or otherwise connect with all of our children and grandchildren.  We had visits from friends.  Two wonderful men from our ward (our local church unit) took the time to visit with us and bring us the sacrament.  Afterwards they gave Eric a beautiful and comforting priesthood blessing.  In the evening a very talented family came and sang hymns for us.  They sounded like angels.  It was almost more than we could bear to have such beauty and love in our home.

Cancer is crummy.  But every time we add things up, the positive outweighs the negative.  Cancer has given us the opportunity to be a bit more creative in finding things that are positive, but the blessings are always there if you look for them.  God lives, He loves us, He loves you. 

A word from Eric:   What has most impressed me in the past several weeks?  All the remarkable gifts that come installed with the physical body.  For the moment, I have been deprived of a small fraction of the gifts and it has left me in pain, without sufficient energy and a bit befuddled and severely limited.  It is as if I were living on a wholly different plane by an entirely different set of rules.  So much that I took for granted now seems the dearest of memories, albeit a bit improbable as I now function. 

So my recommendation, don't take a single free step for granted.  Give the deepest thanks to whatever power or grace to which you attribute your possession and use of the physical body.  Take care of it.  Be patient with those of us who move at a slower pace and operate with limitations.  Recognize that this body does not come with a guarantee and someday, in some way, the ground will shift under you as it did under me.  We are marvelous beings but our support and momentum derive from more than our will.  If you know that now, it will be ever so much easier to accept it later, when life whacks you in the face with this truth, as it inevitably will. 

Getting ready for the big day

I haven't posted for awhile because things have been pretty stable since the last post.  Eric is doing well for someone who has aggressive bone marrow cancer.  We continue to walk each morning.  Eric is able to stay on top of the pain and discomfort most of the time.  He is sleeping a little bit better and feeling a bit more hopeful because of it.

Tuesday we started the work up for entering the hospital on August 19.  We spent a good part of the day at LDS hospital.  By the end of this we may know our way around that extremely confusing hospital, something I never supposed possible.


At 9:00 a.m. Eric had a chest x-ray on the 1st floor. 
At 10:00 a.m. Eric had an EKG and an ECHO on the 7th floor. 
At 11:00 a.m. Eric had a pulmonary function test on the 6th floor.
At noon Eric had a unit of platelets on the 3rd floor.

Wednesday at 1:45 Eric had blood drawn for lab work (I think he told me they took 15 vials), followed by a full physical, and then a bone marrow biopsy, all on the 8th floor bone marrow transplant clinic.  We were both highly skeptical that they would be able to aspirate any bone marrow after the two failed attempts early on.  But to our surprise, they were able to do it.  The physician's assistant explained that it was probably because of the two rounds of chemo that Eric has had.  The chemo may have reduced some of the fibrous material in his bone marrow. 

I thought about posting last night, but it was late when we finally arrived home.  So we had leftovers for supper and fell asleep while watching a movie about raccoons that can transform into anything.  It is a sad commentary when raccoons transforming into humans to save the world can't keep you awake at 7:00 in the evening.

Eric's note:  It was especially gratifying earlier in the week to hear from former law firm colleagues around  town.  It is so nice to be remembered.  At this stage of all the pain and shrinkage, one almost feels invisible.

We have a date!

I am pretty excited that we have a date for Eric's admittance to LDS hospital to start his bone marrow transplant, but first I am going to bore you to tears telling you about our week. 

Eric's last day of chemo was last Friday, July 26.  Eric had a transfusion on Saturday at Intermountain Medical Center.  And Sunday was a day of rest--very appropriate!  This week was a "cancer lite" week since Eric wasn't having daily chemo infusions and we only had two appointments scheduled.

Monday we went to the cancer clinic for our first appointment, which was just to have blood drawn so they could test Eric's numbers.  He was a bit dehydrated so they kept him there and gave him an IV to perk him up.  His platelet count was low, so . . .

Tuesday we went to LDS where Eric had two units of platelets and one unit of blood.  His platelets were really diving, so . . .

Wednesday we had to go back to LDS to have his blood drawn to test his numbers again.  His platelets were good, but his red blood count was low, so . . .

Thursday (today) we went to the cancer clinic for our second appointment of the week.  The physician's assistant checked Eric and everything looked good, so we headed to LDS for two units of blood.  At the end of the transfusion they checked Eric's blood and discovered he is now low on platelets, so . . .

Friday we go back to LDS for two units of platelets.  This "cancer lite" week is wearing me out!

But since you have patiently read this whole pathetic blog post, you will now be rewarded with the date that Eric is going to be admitted to LDS for the real deal!  August 19!  Hooray!

In the meantime we have lots of appointments scheduled, with more being added all the time, for Eric to be poked and prodded and scanned and x-rayed and counseled and who knows what before the big day.

A big hooray for Debbie, who is also going to be kept very busy preparing for her donation of stem cells.  She will be on the road a lot between here and California, and we cannot thank her, and her family, enough for making this sacrifice on our behalf.  Please remember them in your prayers also.

Just two months ago our life was turned upside down (a long winded recap of the past two months, a bit depressing in the middle, better towards the end)

Two months ago today, on May 30, Eric stood up quickly at work and almost passed out.  He had been feeling tired for the past couple of months and I had been pushing him to go to the doctor.  On impulse Eric picked up the phone and called his doctor, asking if he could be seen as soon as possible.  Twenty minutes later Eric was at the doctor's office and they were drawing blood for lab work.  Eric went back to work after the exam and as he was leaving the office to come home that night, his doctor called and told him that the blood work showed that something was severely wrong.  Eric was to go see a hematologist oncologist first thing the next morning for a probably diagnosis of bone marrow cancer.

And with those words our life has changed.  The first few weeks Eric was in pretty good shape and continued to swim a mile in the morning and go to work.  He even walked an hour at noon a few more times.  This cancer thing didn't seem all that bad.  Even when the doctor told Eric he couldn't swim anymore because of the risk of infection from the less than sanitary pool water, it didn't seem that bad because now we could walk together in the morning for 45 minutes to an hour.

Things started to go downhill pretty fast after those first few weeks.  Eric's pain increased, his mobility decreased.  Our walks became shorter and shorter, finally stopping altogether.  Soon Eric was on morphine, and then double doses of morphine to fight the constant pain associated with having twice as much bone marrow in the bone marrow cavity as there is supposed to be.  Bones don't stretch and grow to accommodate cancer like other areas of the body do.  Twenty-four hours a day Eric moved from place to place, trying to find a comfortable spot to rest.  He was chronically sleep deprived, never getting more than 30 to 40 minutes of rest at a time.  Eric was pretty low a couple of weeks ago, almost zombie like he was so tired, so drugged out, so fatigued and in so much pain.

July 18 Eric was admitted to LDS hospital to get an emergency transfusion of three pints of whole blood.  That was a turning point for him.  He really felt rejuvenated after the transfusion and his red blood count stayed up for a remarkably long time.

July 20 Eric was stable enough that they could start his second round of low dose chemo.  Within just a couple of days Eric was feeling so much better that he cut his morphine dose in half.  He regained some of his mobility and flexibility as the chemo stopped the cancer from progressing.  We started walking again and increased the distance on good days.  Eric started sleeping for longer periods of time and was able to stay awake for longer periods during the day.

July 22 we received the fabulous news that Eric's sister Debbie was a match!  Before the transfusion on the 18th and the start of chemo on the 20th, Eric wasn't sure he could make it long enough for a match to be found.  We were pretty discouraged.  So to find out that we had a match and to see Eric feeling better, we felt that our prayers had been answered in the best possible way.  

Yesterday morning our coordinator called to say that she was busy lining up all the things that needed to be put in place, and should be able to give us a timeline for the bone marrow transplant in a couple of days.  Hooray!  We know that the next few months are going to be very difficult and push us to our very limit, but we are eager to get started. 

Right now the most worrisome thing is Eric's platelet count.  He is having platelet transfusions every few days, but the numbers keep free falling lower and lower.  We are so appreciative of all those wonderful people who donate their blood and their platelets.  They are heroes!  Eric honestly would not be alive if it weren't for them.


We are grateful for the many kind visits and calls and emails and cards.  We are grateful for the wonderful food that has been shared with us.  Eric may be losing weight, as is common with cancer, but it is not for lack of delicious food.  We are grateful for all of your prayers on our behalf.  It means so much to us!  We could not do this on our own.  We feel very loved and very supported, both by our family and friends, and also by the Lord.  We know that we are not alone during this trial and are humbled at the mercy and grace of the Lord.

From Eric:  Interesting read!  I missed a lot of this over the past several weeks.  Nice to read what ML has to say to see how the Lord has carried me and how each of you, from the incomparable MaryLynn on down the list, have lent to me your faith and your service, your kindest thoughts and love to bear me forward in an hour of great weakness.  God bless each of you.  ECO

Last day of chemo

Today Eric finished his second round of less aggressive chemo.  He has done really well with it--no nausea or other problems.  In fact, he is feeling stronger and is in less pain than when he started the chemo last Saturday.  Eric has reduced the amount of painkiller he is taking, which makes him much more alert and communicative.  Tomorrow Eric is receiving a platelet transfusion and then we don't have any medical procedures on Sunday.  That will be our first day off since July 17.  Cancer takes over your life. 

People have wondered when Eric will receive his bone marrow transplant.  We are wondering the same thing.  Our doctor has told us not to be impatient because it is a complicated process that takes a lot of coordination and has numerous steps before it happens.  Our best and most optimistic guess is in a couple of weeks.  We have received notification that our health insurance has approved the transplant.  That was good news.  Eric's sister had blood drawn yesterday in California and it is being run through a series of tests. 

Hopefully we will have more information sometime next week.  Until then, have a great weekend and look for ways to help others have a great weekend also.  Enjoy every moment of time you have with your loved ones.  Give a friend a hug.  Sign up to donate blood or be a bone marrow donor.  Count your many blessings.  It is a beautiful world we live in!

Grateful

We are still in shock that we have a match.  We are so very grateful for the tremendous blessings we have received in the last few months.  We have had a lot of great discussions and many insights as we have traveled this crazy cancer path.

Several people have asked about Eric's sister, so I thought I would introduce you to his family.  Eric is the oldest of eight children.  From the moment I first met them 37 years ago I have been impressed with how kind, gracious and supportive they are.  Eric's parents welcomed me fully and without qualification from the start back in the summer of 1976 and have always made me feel a very welcome part of the family.

Eric has a sister that just had her port removed after her successful bout with breast cancer.  She is the only sibling that lives in Utah, but she was not eligible to be a donor.  The remaining six, despite their busy lives and multiple responsibilities and obligations, volunteered to be tested and to be donors if they matched.  They knew it would not be easy because it would require travel, time and expense, but they all hoped that they would be the match.

As it turns out, it is probably a good thing that only one, Eric's sister Debbie who live in California, was a bone marrow match.  All wanted to help but we only needed one match.  Eric would have been overwhelmed in choosing between good samaritans.  We are so grateful to Debbie for her persistence in getting her cheek swab to LDS hospital to be tested.  Several things went wrong, but she kept at it and pushed this forward. 

For the past few months I have been in the very unusual position of being able to walk as fast as Eric, and now I can walk faster than him!  I have spent the past 37 years trying to catch up with him.  I have one worry about Debbie being the match.  She has so much energy and fire that once her stem cells take hold and start to multiply in Eric's bone marrow cavities, I will once again be the tag along.  I will not have a chance with the two of them combined! 

I am looking forward to be left in their collective dust!  Thank you Debbie.  Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Olson for rearing such a faithful, generous and kind family.  Thank you to (siblings) John, Susan, Beth, Debbie, Mary Ann, Bruce and Shauna for all your love and support through the years and especially at this time.  I love you!

From Eric:  It may sound a bit trite but, in this business of love, support, service and healing, aren't we all matches in a way?  Debbie will provide the physical assistance but I do not doubt from the events of the last 60 days that any number of you would do the same if you could.  She stands proxy for such a depth of love and kindness.  There is great strength in knowing that we all do "match."

I wish I could think of something profound to say

Eric and I are feeling so very, very blessed today.  It started out as a good day after Eric had a reasonable night of sleep.  He was feeling stronger so we walked a little farther than we have walked for the past few days.  I noticed as we walked that his movements were smoother and more coordinated than they had been for a couple of weeks. 

Our first obligation was chemo at 11:50 a.m.  As we were driving to the clinic for the chemo, my cell phone rang and Eric's sister Debbie (last on the list of potentials) told Eric that she was a match.  Eric started crying.  I was driving, so I tried very hard not to let more than a few tears well up in my eyes.  But my heart was bursting with love and gratitude to my loving Heavenly Father for this tremendous answer to our prayers.

We hardly dared believe this good news, but we told our doctor when he came to see how the chemo was going that Eric's sister had called to say she was a match, but that we didn't know if more testing needed to be done to confirm it.  He promised to find out all the details he could and share them with us when we go for chemo tomorrow.

Back from the downtown visit and all our running around (now late afternoon), I just got off the phone with our bone marrow transplant coordinator and she confirmed that Debbie is a full match!  We are so excited.  Debbie is so eager to donate that the coordinator had to calm her down, but we are so grateful that Debbie is more than willing to turn her life upside down to be available as soon as possible.

We don't know how long this preparation process will be, but assume it will take a week or two minimum to line everything up.  But we are on the path!  And in the meantime we feel so blessed that Eric is managing the pain, the sleep deprivation, and the messed up digestive tract better these past few days. 

Among the many things we are grateful for is the love and support we have had from so many people.  Eric's law firm has been amazing.  Everyone has been so helpful and kind in walking us through this process of taking medical leave, winding down his practice, figuring out the new normal.

We have also been very blessed with loving and supportive family and friends.  As a practical, literal person I have always had a bit of a problem with St. Matthew 6:25-34.  How can you not think about food and clothes and all the other necessities of life?  As a wife of one and mother of six, I have spent a lot of time thinking (and worrying) about those very things.  This morning as Eric and I were walking I told him that it had suddenly hit me in the night that for a couple of weeks I had not thought about what to make for dinner.  Every night we had been provided for by thoughtful friends.  To my knowledge it had not been coordinated by anyone, but every evening the very thing that tasted good to Eric was here in our home.  How could this be?  This morning I realized that Heavenly Father had been kindly working through our loved ones to provide us what we needed.  He had fulfilled His promise.

And then just a few hours later we received the phone call from Debbie, followed by the phone call from our coordinator.  Heavenly Father has answered our prayers. 

From Eric:  I appreciate so much your thoughts and prayers.  I feel them most in the dark stillness of the night as I move from room to room to settle in for another bit of sleep.  It seems then that we are more a part of each other than we could ever suppose.  With love.

Good thing I filled the car up with gas this morning

Where did I leave off?  Oh yeah, I was inhaling salad while typing this blog while packing clothes for Eric in case they didn't release him from LDS hospital after he received the three units of blood.  I timed myself at being home less than 30 minutes before heading back to the hospital.

Eric was having a great visit with his friend when I returned to LDS hospital.  I was so grateful!  Eric's color was a lot better after receiving the blood and his vital signs were all good so they let us leave at 9:30 p.m.

Today was supposed to be Eric's second day of chemo, but they told us not to come until they had analyzed his white blood cells from yesterday.  After I called the doctor's office twice they realized the blood smear had been sent to the wrong lab and they wouldn't have the results until Monday.  So at 2:30 they called us and asked us to report to the lab at LDS (weren't we there less than 24 hours ago?) and have new blood drawn.  Then we were to go to the cancer clinic and wait for an hour for the lab results.  At that point they would give Eric the chemo.

After hanging out for an hour at the clinic they received a preliminary report that Eric's platelets were low and he needed a platelet transfusion tomorrow, so we had to drive to Intermountain Medical Center to have blood drawn to type the platelet transfusion.  They didn't have enough information yet to give us the chemo today.

While we were at IMC I received a phone call from the doctor and we found out that Eric's white blood cell count had gone down significantly from yesterday, which is good.  He has a few more blast cells, which is something they are watching.  But he is good to start his second round of chemo tomorrow.  So it is two days late and many miles later, but we are good to go. 

I am grateful we live close to excellent medical centers.  We have met so many people who drive from all over Utah to visit the doctors and hospitals that are less than a half hour away from our house.  We are so spoiled!

Cancer hijacked our day

Today did not go according to schedule, and as many of you know, I am one of the ten least spontaneous people on the planet.  I love a good schedule and I hate adventures.  Well, today has been an adventure.

Eric and I left the house today at 10:00 a.m. and headed to the cancer clinic where they drew his blood, gave him a brief checkup, and then put him in the chair for his scheduled chemotherapy on day one of his second round of less aggressive treatment.  They never started the chemo, and people kept coming to ask us questions.

Eventually we found out that Eric's red blood cell count was very low, his platelet transfusion on Tuesday had actually made his platelet count worse (they explained why this happens on a fairly frequent basis), and his white blood cell count was soaring.  They weren't sure what to do with Eric, and as the physician's assistant said, "We haven't ever seen this happen after just one round of low dose chemo."  Once again, I knew Eric was an original, but does that have to extend into every aspect of our lives?

Our physician, the PA, and the bone marrow transplant team at LDS had a consultation and decided to not give the chemo, but instead admit Eric to LDS hospital where they could give him three units of blood right away.  They are checking his white blood cells under a microscope to see if they can find out whether they are the "good" or the "bad" type of cells.  Once they have agreed upon the type of cells they are, Eric will either start tomorrow on the less aggressive chemo at the clinic, or else he will have to stay in the hospital and start the more aggressive chemo even though he doesn't have a donor yet.

So after sitting at the clinic for two hours, we drove to LDS hospital.  We had to wait for them to type Eric's blood so that they could make up three bags of blood for him.  They started the first bag at 3:00 p.m.  It takes two hours for each bag, so it will be a very long day for us before we finish up and can come home.

I finished the only book I had taken with me at 5:00 (silly me, I thought I would be back home by 1:30 or 2:00 when I packed my bag this morning to go to the clinic) and was ready to go insane.  A friend of Eric's was coming to visit him between 6:00 and 7:00, so I took the chance and raced home to grab a few essentials to take back to the hospital.

The first thing I grabbed was a container in the fridge labelled "Super Foods Salad" that a friend had brought by last night.  I inhaled the entire salad even thought I am sure it was supposed to be enough for both of us.  I don't think you can overdose on salad, and it was awesome!  Next I grabbed a sweater because I freeze in hospitals.  And then I grabbed TWO books so that I don't run out of reading material again.  (I also picked up a few things for Eric, so don't worry that I am neglecting him.)

I took the time to type this just to get it all off my chest, and now I am heading back to the hospital.  Even though it has been a long day and we are not sure what tomorrow will bring, it has been a good day.  After just half of the first bag of blood Eric started looking better.  His color is better and he is more lively.  He really needed this blood so it was worth checking him into the hospital so he could get it today instead of having to wait until tomorrow.  And because he was feeling better he ate a lot of his meal at the hospital.  I was really surprised at how much he ate.  Maybe he was just craving hospital food!

Life is good

Not really anything to report today, but I just wanted to let you know that life is good.  Eric had a nice nap while getting his platelet infusion.  People dropped by or called to say hi.  It rained.  Eric ate well today.  We feel at peace.  I hope each of you had a good day also.

Pretty much no news that is worth hearing today

Eric had his blood drawn and tested today, and then a short visit with the doctor.  He needs a platelet transfusion, so that is scheduled for tomorrow.  On Thursday he has another visit with the doctor and starts his seven day series of low dose chemotherapy. 

We have settled into a routine that is ruled by Eric's medications, pain, fatigue and sleep deprivation.  Saturday morning was our last walk as Eric has become progressively weaker and unsteady.  I am doing better at forcing food on Eric every couple of hours.  I hadn't realized that was part of my caretaker job until he lost 10 pounds in one week.  At today's appointment his weight hadn't dropped, which made me feel better.  Hopefully he won't fire me if I keep him at a steady weight.

Last week we found out that 5 of Eric's 6 siblings eligible to donate bone marrow were not compatible with Eric.  I always knew he was unique, but am a little discouraged by this news.  His last eligible sibling's results will be a little slow coming in because she lives out of state and wasn't able to be tested at LDS hospital by the bone marrow transplant team we are seeing.  The others were all tested at LDS because they were in state for a family reunion.

I talked to the bone marrow transplant team coordinator today.  She has started making requests for matches from the national bone marrow registry, but it is a slow process when you have to use them.  She cautioned me that it could easily take 6 to 8 weeks to find a match that will become the donor.  I am a bit discouraged by this news because it is so hard to see Eric become weaker and more disoriented by the above mentioned medications, pain, fatigue and sleep deprivation.

Our goal is to just take each day at a time and not worry about things that are out of our control.  We appreciate your faith and prayers on our behalf.  It helps us keep going.

Just good news today folks!

Eric's red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells are holding steady.  The white cells that had the doctor concerned on Tuesday, turned out to be good white cells (instead of bad white cells that could indicate leukemia developing).  The doctor thinks that Eric's low dose chemo not only is keeping his cancer from progressing, but has even helped his bone marrow to develop a few good blood cells.

The new pain killer prescription has helped, and we will tweak the dosage tomorrow morning, which should help even more.  Eric's digestive tract, with a lot of help from some over the counter remedies that various medical friends recommended, has settled into a decent schedule.  We now have a prescription that the doctor describes as Drano, but hope we never have to use it since he said it has surprising effects for up to 12 hours.

We hope to hear soon that one of Eric's brothers (or even both!) are matches to donate stem cells for the bone marrow transplant.

Eric will have more blood drawn on Monday, and then starts another seven day round of low dose chemo on Thursday.  Hopefully this is the last round until we start the big stuff in the hospital in preparation for the bone marrow transplant.

Thank you for your prayers and support!  It means a lot to us.  We love you!

From Eric:  The doctor said that the powerful pain in the bones is normal pain for a situation when the amount of bone marrow in there is twice what the bones were designed to hold:  "normal pain" is hard for me to get my mind around.  The combined kindness and prayers of all of you serve as a sustaining spirit and are very easy to get my mind around.

Today's format is going to be Good News/Bad News

Good News:  If you are trying to lose weight, cancer seems to be a sure thing.  Eric has lost 7 pounds since last Friday's appointment.

Bad News:  Eric doesn't really need to be losing any weight, and the more weight Eric loses the more I gain through emotional eating.



Good News:  Eric's red blood cells and platelets are staying up, which means he doesn't need a transfusion in the near future.

Bad News:  Eric's white blood cells are rising, which could mean his cancer is morphing into leukemia.  The doctor will let us know within 24 hours if there is anything to be concerned about.



Bad News:  We have to go in to the doctor on Thursday instead of waiting until Friday because they want to keep a close look on the white blood cell levels.

Good News:  We love our doctor and his staff, and are so grateful they are so diligent.



Bad News:  Eric has been in considerable more pain this past week and has had some of the digestive tract problems associated with pain killer use.

Good News:  We have some great new prescriptions that we hope will take care of everything.  Eric is looking forward to getting some real sleep.



Bad News:  We heard today that the first two of Eric's siblings to have their blood work screened don't match as potential donors.

Good News:  There are 4000 people on the national bone marrow registry who do match.



Bad News:  It has been a rough last few days.

Good News:  We have been smothered with love and support from friends and family.  Eric has received two exceptionally beautiful and comforting blessings.  No matter the number of bad news items, we are always aware that there are even more items of good news.  Thank heavens for a loving Heavenly Father!

It's always nice to have a miracle

Eric has not felt well the last few days.  He has a lot more pain in his bones, and now his muscles are also hurting.  It hurts to move and it hurts to stay still.  Eric is also losing strength and balance.  How fun.  Evidently this is normal for cancer patients.  Despite the pain, we continue to walk as much as we can each morning, just at a slower pace. 

Eric continues to stay as engaged with life as possible.  He has been listening to a Great Lectures series done by a University of Virgina professor on the Civil War.  Eric also watched the movie Gettysburg and has been researching Civil War atlases and rereading books on the subject.  Have any questions on the Civil War?  Eric would be glad to visit with you.

Friday morning at the doctor's office Eric's temperature was 99 degrees.  Fevers are very bad news at the moment because Eric's immune system is so compromised.  When I took his temperature at 2:30 his temperature had risen to 101.2.  I called the doctor's office and left a message with the nurse.  It was a tense half hour until they got back to us and told me to give Eric the antibiotic they had prescribed a couple of weeks ago in case this very thing happened.  (The antibiotic must be fairly strong because it said on the information sheet that it is also used for anthrax and the plague.)  I was to keep monitoring Eric's temperature and if he showed any sign of illness I was to take him to the emergency room, or if the fever hadn't broken by this afternoon it was a trip to the emergency room.

A friend came over yesterday evening about 8:00.  He and our son Stephen gave Eric a blessing and then Eric had a nice visit with him.  When I took Eric's temperature at 9:00, his temperature had dropped to 98 degrees.  What a blessing!  Eric's temperature has continued to stay in the normal range so far today.  So hopefully we will have a quiet day at home without any medical issues or trips to the emergency room.

Today is done, on to tomorrow

Eric was a hero today.  He absorbed (definitely not the technical term) two units of whole blood and one unit of platelets in just under 4 hours.  Infusions of this sort can easily take 5 to 6 hours, so you can see how impressive Eric was.  He may be severely anemic, but he can still beat the clock when it matters.

Eric is tired after spending time at work and then at the hospital, but he should sleep better tonight after having the transfusion.  The doctor also gave him a prescription for new medications that should help with the pain and achiness.  (Achiness really is a word, I just looked it up.  So if this posts with a red line under it, trust me and my dictionary, not blogger.)

Two of Eric's sisters were tested today to see if they are donor matches, which we really appreciate!  It takes two weeks for results, and Eric was only tested last Friday, so we don't really expect anything until July 15 at the soonest.  We would love to hear something positive sooner, but we don't want to get our hopes up or that weekend will seem really long.

In the excitement of getting to spend today in a chilly hospital unit instead of in a warm house, I forgot to mention in my last post that we finally received the results from the genetic work up of Eric's blood.  The report placed him squarely in the high risk category instead of bumping him up to the very high risk category.  The new information doesn't change anything as far as treatment, but we take our victories where we can get them.

We love you all and continue to feel so blessed by your faith and prayers.  As weird as it may sound, Eric and I are enjoying our time together.  We have had some great discussions and are finding peace and power in the most amazing places.  What an amazing world we live in.

Nothing exciting to report

We had a fairly boring doctor's appointment today.  They drew blood, as usual, and discovered that Eric's numbers were low, as usual.  The most exciting news was finding out Eric needed both a whole blood transfusion AND a platelet infusion.  I would complain about spending 4+ hours at the hospital tomorrow getting the infusions, but they keep the infusion clinic nice and chilly.  I will actually take a sweater with me to keep me warm enough.  While the rest of you curse the heat wave, I will be sipping diet Dr. Pepper and reading a book.  Eric will also be sipping a diet Dr. Pepper and reading a book, but who cares about him?  Ha, ha, just kidding.  We have discovered multiple times in the past month that cancer is a jealous mistress.  Forget about trying to maintain a schedule or plan the future.  A simple blood draw turns everything on its head and whatever the cancer demands, the cancer gets.

We are looking forward to the 4th of July because we are so grateful to live in this amazing country.  We are thankful for all who have sacrificed in the past, and to those who sacrifice today to make this a land of hope and promise. 

From Eric:  Somehow I find a way through each day.  What I would do without the assistance of MaryLynn is beyond my imagination.  I find that both the good news and the less promising news confirms to my heart that we are in the kind and gracious hand of divine providence -- and God will not let go, whether in this life or the next.  Love to all.  ECO

Thursday was a wonderful, carefree, cancer free day.  After seven straight days of chemo, it was so nice to have a day without any doctor appointments, transfusions, infusions, chemo, lab work, etc.  Eric had planned to go into the office, but instead decided he needed the rest.  Smart man!  Because today was crazy!

We were gone from home 8 1/2 hours, and all of it was spent on cancer.  As we were driving home the theme song from Gilligan's Island kept running through my head: the part about "a three hour tour."  Hopefully we have now learned that nothing is short and easy in the cancer world, so take plenty of things to read and snacks to eat.

Our day started with a blood draw at our regular cancer clinic.  Eric's red and white blood cell levels were acceptable, but his platelets were really low and dropping so they recommended Eric have a platelet infusion.  Today.  The doctor's office threw their weight around and managed to get us worked into an already full day at LDS Hospital's infusion center.  Yeah.

We drove from the doctor's office to LDS Hospital where we first had more blood drawn from Eric's poor right arm (his left arm tends to be stingy, so his right arm has been amazing through all of this).  This blood draw was so they could prepare the platelet infusion to be given later that day. 

Then we headed up to meet our bone marrow cancer specialist team for the first time.  We walked into the waiting room and were greeted by Eric's dad and two brothers.  It was so great to see them there!!!  Eric's brothers were in town and had come to be tested to be stem cell donors for the bone marrow transplant.  How often do you have donors show up even before the actual patient?

Eric had a thorough physical, which he passed with flying colors, other than the fact he has bone marrow cancer and is consequently severely anemic, has a dramatically weakened immune system, and his blood won't clot.  

We then met with the bone marrow cancer specialist (M.D.) and our coordinator (who keeps it all organized) and also the woman who handles the insurance.  We were impressed with how informed, plain spoken, efficient and nice they all were.  We were handed our very own large, information filled, loose leaf binder titled "Intermountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Allogeneic Guidebook."  It has all the answers to all the questions we don't even know enough to ask.

Next Eric's sweet right arm had to be poked to draw the blood they would be using to find a suitable donor for his bone marrow transplant.  This time they left the IV in because we still had to get the platelet infusion.  So it was down to the infusion center for two units of platelets.  Fortunately, this is much faster than whole blood transfusions, because we had missed lunch and were now close to missing dinner.

So now that I have bored everyone with our sad story, here is what we learned today from the bone marrow doctor.  The doctor gave us a good idea of what the future would hold as far as how they prepare for a bone marrow transplant, do a bone marrow transplant, and what to expect afterwards.  But everything has to be fairly general and somewhat grim because the doctor wants us to be prepared for anything that comes up, and with cancer there are always going to be unknowns until they present themselves.  She didn't make us any promises or sugar coat anything.  It is going to be hard, but it is also most likely going to have a positive outcome.

As far as things specific to Eric, it is a real plus that he is in such great shape because he has reserves of strength to draw upon that a lot of cancer patients don't have.  They are still waiting for some of the information that is needed for the final decisions on what very specific type of bone marrow cancer Eric has.  And they will be checking his blood on a regular basis to see how quickly the cancer progresses and how the chemo he has had keeps it at bay. With six possible sibling donors, he has great odds of finding a match, and it will be quicker than if he has to go through the donor registry.  It will take 2 weeks to type his blood, and the blood of his siblings as they are tested.  If one of his brothers is a match, we could be starting with the transplant process in as soon as two weeks, longer if we have to wait for one of his sisters, who won't be tested until next week.

As always, we promise to keep you informed as soon as we learn anything.  We are looking forward to a quiet weekend.  Our next appointment is Tuesday afternoon, so we will report then if not sooner.  Thank you for your love and prayers.  It means a lot to us.