How fast the time goes by...still haven't done any Christmas shopping for anyone in my immediate family. Hmmm...how many days until Christmas? Try to enjoy the moment doesn't allow much time for shopping. Things at the studio have been busy...this is our last week of classes before we go on holiday break, so all the gifts for teachers, apprentice helpers, and company dancers must be gathered and wrapped. The Gems Christmas party is this Saturday AFTER rehearsal.
Went to the hospital with Nick on Wednesday. It was a late appointment (2:15PM) and even later by the time we got home (8:00PM). Nick got his blood drawn and then he saw Dr. F. Dr. F is like a beacon of light in a dark fog. He is the only doctor in this entire six (almost seven) month odyssey that Nick has seen on a regular basis. Dr. F is an oncology "fellow" which means he is still working his way toward becoming a full-fledged oncology specialist. His training has been endless and still he toils away at this thing we call medicine.
Nick has had a cold and cough for going on three weeks now. There have been lots of nasty germy illnesses going around and this is one of them. We have all had it....Kate, Glenn, and me!
I am almost better in one week's time, which goes to show what a healthy immune system can do. Nick on the other hand is still straggling along with the crud. Dr. F ordered a chest CT just to make sure he didn't have anything trying to take hold in his lungs. Fortunately, his lungs are clear. He remains without fever which is a good thing, although his WBC & ANC counts have continued to trend downward for no good reason that anyone can figure out. The doctors are not overly concerned right now and feel that Nick is doing well. However, his immune system is still fragile and he must take precautions as always, especially now when his counts are down.
The graft vs. host disease seems to be under control. Nick's skin and gut seem to have recovered nicely. His liver enzymes are still elevated, but, heading downward (back to normal) slowly but surely. Nick is almost off the steroids...they will be done by the end of the week. So far so good with regards to the fact that the GVH has not reared it's ugly head. He remains on the anti-rejection/immunosuppressant called Pro-Graf (tacrolimus). He will continue on this drug for a while, not sure how long.....could be forever. He remains on his Gleevac to keep the CML (Philadelphia chromosome) at bay. Dr. F seems to think that Nick can even cut down on the frequency of his clinic visits, to every two-three weeks if he continues to do well.
For now, I will take the good news and thank God for Nick's continued recovery. On my way to the cafeteria, I saw a hubby & wife team, we called "Nick's roommate" while Nick was on 5B getting his BMT. I have talked about them in prior posts. Mr. H also has CML and he was receiving his second transplant the same month that Nick was at Weinberg. I am sad to report he has been readmitted and has been on Weinberg for the last twelve days. Mr. H has been going through some rough stuff, so please keep him and his wife in your prayers. It was quite a shock for me, as I thought Mr. H was doing so great. Nick & I hadn't seen them in a while because Nick was still in IPOP and Mr. H had gotten booted down to the clinic (because he had been doing so great!) I was hoping they were back to their home in DC. They have spent so much time at Hopkins in the past two and a half years that a while ago they decided to just buy a place nearby where they can live!!!! It really hits hard when any of the patients you meet along the way take ill or take steps backwards in their recovery. It's that damn troll jumping out from under the bridge! It doesn't matter who he is terrorizing, it is scary and he really knows how to suck the life out of a party. He really needs to lighten up...maybe drink some eggnog or something...if not, I have some other ideas that won't be nearly as pleasant. Good night.
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