When you last heard from Connie on December 30th, Connie was on day 3 of her 5 day chemo treatment. To bring you up to date, Connie completed her 5 days of chemo pretty well. As she told you, this round was done as an outpatient. I think with each continuing treatment she tires more quickly and it really knocks the stuffing out of her. Connie made it until January 10th with out serious side effects but that evening her temperature went over the low grade she can manage at home. She once again was admitted to UW Medical Center where doctors could monitor her, give her meds & fluids and run cultures to see if she had any infections that were causing her fever. She was able to come home from the Hospital on January 13th with antibiotics given by IV 3 times a day. Connie has had to have more transfusions of Red Blood Cells & Platelets after this Chemo treatment. She feels this is the result of not being given the ‘Magic Cells’ as before when involved in the clinical trial. Recovery has been slower but these past few days she has begun to produce some White Blood Cells again and her immune system is starting its climb back up, a slow process that Connie becomes impatient with.
We are not sure how long it will take her immune system to be back up enough that she can visit with her friends and family again. With the possibility of her transplant process starting in 3 weeks, she will have to play it by ear. While she would like to see everyone she also cannot take the risk of becoming sick at this point. So she waits to see how fast her counts come up.
Connie’s Bone Marrow pre-transplant physicals are scheduled to begin around the 9th of February. She will have every exam and test possible from the top of her head to the tip of her toe. It sounds like they have found the 10 out of 10 match for her, which we are so very grateful for. Her pre-transplant Chemo may start around the 25th of February with the transplant the beginning of March. Of course all of these dates can change at any time. Connie tells me she just wants to get it done and have it be over. I know being sick and in limbo is difficult for her, I also see, now that it is near, she is getting nervous, which I totally understand.
Not a whole lot of news, but I know you all are concerned for her and like to be kept up to date. Your love & prayers mean so very much to Connie and she will need them more than ever these next couple of months. Please pray for her as she goes through her transplant.
Spring is just around the corner and we look forward to warmth, sunshine and a healthy Connie to enjoy the summer days with her family, friends and especially her little grandson who will be sitting up and crawling around by then.
