Bone Marrow Transplant Journey

I wanted to bring you up to date on Connie’s AML Journey:

Connie was given her transplant cells on Friday evening, March 4^th (day zero). She checked into UW Medical Center and received her donor cells from 6:15pm to 9:45pm.  She had no reaction to the cells and all went well.  She was feeling pretty good and looking forward to finishing her journey to recovery.

To try to explain all the medications Connie has and is taking and the processes Connie has gone through since February 25^th to prepare her body for transplant is unbelievably complicated.  The doctors tell us a Bone Marrow transplant is the most invasive and serious of any transplants a person can receive.  I have no doubt they are correct.

After Connie received her transplanted cells she was adamant that she continue through this process as an “outpatient” for as long as she possibly could.  To tell you Connie hates staying in the hospital is truly an understatement.  So 24 hours after she received her cells they released her from the hospital but warned her she was going to feel much sicker before she would start to get better.

So each day Connie’s husband took her to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance on Lake Union where she would have blood tests, medications, exams, IVs, etc. As side effects came the doctors added medications and hydration to her treatment.  We are so very thankful for the knowledge and experience of her doctors.  We are so blessed to live where we have access to Fred Hutch and UW, all the trials & research they have done the past 30 years have truly given Connie a second chance at life.

Unfortunately the side effects and complications became serious enough that Connie was admitted to the UW Medical center last night, March 11^th. (day 7).  The doctors say she will probably be in the hospital for a minimum of 10 days.  Connie is still not at the turning point where the donor cells will take over and she will start to feel better.  Connie is bone tired, nauseous, dealing with many side effects and a couple of complications and feels really, really lousy.

I know her friends and family wish they could do something to help Connie.  If you are able, please keep donating blood or plasma, without these donations she and many others would not be able to survive.  Connie is not online or up to reading email but if you could mail her ‘get well’ cards to her home address, Ron will take them to her and we will be sure they are taped to her hospital wall for her to see when she is awake.  She needs all the encouragement and prayers available as this is a very rough spot for her to get through.

I will keep you posted with anything new as the days go by.

Thanks again for your support and prayers during Connie’s illness.

Linda