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!