What A Day...

I think the medicine induced disorientation has finally subsided. Although, I am still pretty tired. But, almost a week later, Adam and I are doing okay. Adam is struggling to eat enough, but otherwise seems to be doing well. He did have an NG tube placed so they could supplement his nutritional needs and it's proving to be more difficult then we would like. The supplement is something akin to baby formula and Adam's gut does not like it. So we keep trying.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, transplant day went very well. I was in surgery about three hours and then it took about four hours for the marrow to infuse. Now with a few days between us and transplant day, I am amazed at not only what modern medicine is capable of, but what the human body can do. We were told that just hours after the infusion, the hemopoietic stem cells had migrated into Adam's bone marrow and begun to set up shop. I am fascinated by the fact that cells that don't belong to Adam know where to go and what to do. It will be a several days before we see any signs of engraftment, but so far, things have gone very well.
From the donor's perspective, it's quite an experience. I still hurt, but it's just tenderness rather then aching. My throat is still pretty scratchy from the breathing tube, but that seems to be getting better as well. It's been a while since I've had surgery and the recovery is harder than I remember. On the bright side, they were able to extract about nine ounces of bone marrow from the back of my hips and the doctors were pretty happy with the quality and sample size of the marrow they pulled. It is encouraging to hear the contentment in their voices as they talk about the process and what it could mean for the eventual outcome.
Now that transplant is complete, we just wait for counts to recover. We pray there will be minimal complications and that Adam will have a speedy recovery. All in all, we are hanging in there. Adam is my champion and continues to amaze me with his submissive patience and cooperation even when he doesn't understand why we can't go home.


Adam the day of transplant. If you look at the bottom of the picture just above the "D" in "ADAM," you can see the bone marrow transfusing through his line which is wrapping around his leg.





This is where the tubing connects to one of the lumens of his central line. He is receiving his bone marrow transfusion.

7 comments:

GoodReason said...

May all go well . . . .we pray for you every day!! Our other friends' baby is having her bone marrow transplant tomorrow--a young woman in Germany was the match. How lucky to have the match right in the family!

Susan said...

Love you guys! Adam is my hero too and he always will be.
-Susan

nealcox said...

Glad and relieved to hear that things are going well. We're all constantly praying for you all.

Love,

Neal (and family)

Anna said...

Hi Janna, it's your old neighbor. I saw the update on facebook. What a great mom you are. You and your little Adam will be in my prayers.

Anna

Michelle Cox said...

The procedure does sound amazing. And your bodies are the most amazing part of it! It really is miraculous how science and nature can team up. I'm glad you're feeling less sore and that Adam is still being patient. We'll keep praying for his counts go UP!

carrie said...

what an amazing experience. Thanks for keeping us up to date- even when you don't feel so great.

Hannah said...

What a miraculous experience. I'm so glad the transplant went well, and we will continue to pray for all of you. You are a mighty mom too. Know that our hearts are with you in this difficult time!