Day +25, +26 and +27

We spent the weekend learning limits...  Even though his counts continue to go up, he is extremely tired and has low stamina.  We didn't really expect that considering his RBC count is close to normal.  Plus, you think you are exercising in the room at COH and you are earning the "feet" after every mile, but you really aren't exercising!  They commented before we were discharged that some patients aren't able to climb stairs for 2 months...hell no!  We were prepared for that but Steven goes upstairs to sleep at night.

Eating is an adventure.  Because there are so many restrictions on food preparation and consumption, I feel like I've never cooked before.  I'm questioning how I handled meat already in the freezer and tossed most of the open containers in the refrigerator.  I asked my better half what he had a taste for.  He said chili.  That would of been the last thing I would have thought to make for him but ok, I can do that and follow the rules.  Need I tell you he had nausea that night, and he is still on nausea medication!  Monday he only had peanut butter on raisin bread, cottage cheese and grapes.

Today, Tuesday, is our first clinic at COH.  He had labs drawn in the morning and then a 15 minute appointment with our physician.  His counts are starting to look great but you wouldn't know it as tired as he gets.  The doctor is not concerned about his lack of stamina and said the nausea could be GVHD.  We will see him again on Friday.  Initially, we will be going twice a week to clinic and they had us scheduled through the first week of December.

Steven is taking part in a study on CMV, cytomegalovirus, post transplant.  It's a phase II study to test the effects of a vaccine to keep CMV from erupting post transplant.  Many of us have been exposed to CMV which causes flu like symptoms.  The virus sits latent and sometimes rears it's ugly head on immunocompromised patients causing complications.  The concerning complication is that it targets certain cells in the bone marrow.  It's a blind study meaning we don't know if Steven is getting the vaccine or a placebo.

When we were done with clinic, they started "making" the vaccine.  That took almost 2 hours.  They gave us a pager so we would know when to go back when the vaccine was ready.  The nurse gave Steven Tylenol and had to wait 15 minutes before administrating the vaccine, which was one shot in the arm.  After 30 minutes, they will come in and do vitals.  Assuming he doesn't break out in rash or stop breathing (come on, I'm kidding), we will get to go home.