Update of Week One

As of the last update, we thought they were releasing Zed from hospital on Fri (24th). But he had to be "fever free" for 48 hrs before they would release him and he had his last fever fri morning. They also found that he needed a blood transfusion so they kept him in hospital until Mon morning (27th). They arranged for a home health care agency to come to the hotel room to administer his iv antibiotic on Mon evening and show me how to do it for 2 doses on Tue and 1 on Wed morning. When we saw the Dr on Tues morning, he said Zed still looked really good and would admit him on Wed. He told us that the bacteria was a staph of some sort that I can neither pronounce nor remember and that he did'nt want to see him back in his office next week to say "3 times a charm". He was re-admitted Wed afternoon (we asked why they just didn't keep him in and they said the insurance likes to "separate" one admission from the next to keep billing straight. Who understands insurance companies?!?!)
So on Wed they started giving him pre-chemo medications and started Chemo on Thur (29th) @ 8 am--every 6 hrs round the clock for 3 days for 1st medication, 2nd medication started 1 time daily for 2 days on Nov 2nd, and then 3rd medication 1 time daily for 2 days starting Nov 4th. Each medication comes with its own set of side effects and precautions. First one called, Busulfan, can cause severe diarrhea, fever and sore throat. Second one called, Melphalan, can cause terrible mouth and throat sores. So they make him keep ice in his mouth 1/2 hr before, during the treatment, and 1/2 hr after. This medication doesn't stay stable very long so they rush it from pharmacy to him and practically shoot it into him. The iv pump sounded like a milking machine while he was receiving this one. The third medication is called Thiotepa and is excreted through the sweat and can cause skin burns if left on skin, so he will have to shower 2-3 times daily while on this one. Things are going well so far, only had severe nausea one day, other than that, they have been able to control it pretty well. He also had a fever spike
one night (101) which kind of scared all of us. They had to do blood cultures and urine samples etc. per the protocal of the hospital for fevers, but it went down and has not returned and cultures were negative--Whew!
We have both watched more TV and surfed the web more than we have in a year, and I brought some craft projects along to keep me busy too. We are still doing well, hoping that everything continues to go as scheduled. They tell us most of the side effects will actually show up next week and he may think "why did I do this", but we hope that they will be minimal. He still feels real good and has a good appetite and attitude, he is keeping all the nurses laughing especially after naming his iv pole "spot". When it beeps he tells them, "hey Spot is barking." He also likes to draw pictures on the white board in the room of his full urinal.
Thanks for the phone calls, we have nothing but time, so don't worry about "bothering" us. I spend each night here on a recliner (torture chamber ha ha) that folds down, and go back to the hotel for a couple of hours each day to shower, change, do laundry, etc. So that about wraps up the latest from Arizona. Sorry to make you jealous, (everyone but Utahna) but it has been in the 90's every day. We do miss the crisp fall air though, never thought I would admit that. Transplant day is Nov 7th!!
Love you all very much!
Zed and Lannis