Family and Friends,
Today is DAY 9 of the transplant journey for Ray. It is Thurs eve, technically Fri am at 3 am. Ray did extremely well through the 6 days of chemo with the only side effect being fluid retention. The Dr refers to this time in the transplant journey as 'the honeymoon'. (As I believe I mentioned earlier, he received 2 years' worth of chemo in 6 days!) He showered and dressed every am and we went for multiple daily walks, Ray donning a mask and pulling his 'tree' of IV meds alongside us everywhere he went. We visited the beautiful prayer garden every day. I beat him in Scrabble because he said he didn't want me to go easy on him just because he is sick and getting a transplant! :) He ate 3 good meals each day with no nausea. He was given so many fluids to help flush the chemo quickly out of his body to prevent permanent kidney or bladder damage, that he gained 10 pds the first 2 days! He gained a total of 14 pds after the first 5 days. The kids joked on Sunday that he looked like he was wearing a "fat suit"...they've never seen him heavy so it was quite different to see him so puffy and full of fluids. He then actually lost 8 lbs in one day as they gave him some 'lasix' to help eliminate the fluid buildup. Never knew a person could gain and lose so much weight in one day! Then yesterday early afternoon, Wed, he was given an antibiotic that he is known to have had severe reactions to and he told the nurse this. She said he had to have this specific antibiotic. Within 15 min of taking it orally, he developed a severe stomachache that he could not tolerate without pain meds. He then started spiking a fever and was very nauseous and vomited. He was given additional different antibiotics and the Dr decided not to give him the specific antibiotic that caused his initial distress anymore. Another nurse told us he could have been given that antibiotic via IV and it wouldn't have upset his stomach at all. Another nurse told us it is a derivative of penicillin, which Ray is severely allergic to. I haven't had a chance to verify this via google or otherwise. Either way, he won't get it again and they are saying that is not the cause of his high fever. However, they cannot find the cause of the infection and his fever. So far all his blood cultures have come back negative. They are hoping for more results tomorrow. They explained that they are giving him a 'broad' antibiotic since they don't know the source of infection and cannot give a more specific antibiotic. It is not ideal. His temp is now 103.2 and he has had this since early afternoon Wed. He also has very low blood pressure (80/44 a while ago), and the nurse just told me that if his top number goes down to 70, he goes to ICU, which they have on this same floor. His heart rate is 114, which they are also very concerned about. They just came in and did a chest xray to rule out pneumonia. Will get those results tomorrow am hopefully. He has also developed very severe mouth ulcers and therefore he cannot really eat or talk very easily. He can only drink liquids and very soft foods. They won't let him get up from his bed with his blood pressure so low right now. They believe he is dehydrated, which is also causing the lower blood pressure.
SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS RIGHT NOW: Please pray that the Drs will find out the source of his infection and what is causing his fever, so that they can treat it in the most efficient manner with the best antibiotic and eliminate his high fever. Pray also for his mouth sores to get better and that he is able to do his mouth rinses again to help prevent any new ones. Please also pray for his blood pressure to get back to normal as quickly as possible. PRAY FOR ALL TO GO WELL WITH HIS TRANSPLANT TOMORROW!
DELAYED TRANSPLANT DATE - Ray was supposed to have his transplant today (Thurs), but yesterday we were told it would be delayed one day due to the new stem cells not arriving here from his donor in Canada until tonight. He will receive his transplant at noon tomorrow (Fri), regardless of his fever or any other complication. Everything is well timed and he cannot wait any longer...he has to receive the new stem cells within a specific window of time after receiving the chemo.
I think the hardest thing right now is not knowing what kind of infection he has so that he can be treated in the best manner. He wasn't supposed to get 'sick' from the chemo until 2-4 days after the transplant, so we are a bit surprised that he is so sick already. Having said that, everyone reacts differently and unexpected reactions are the 'norm' here in this tranplant unit....so we really don't have a right to be surprised. Anything can happen. His spirits are good, though, and we are remaining strong in our faith that he is in God's hands and that God is the ultimate Healer and will carry Ray through this, according to His will. It is so hard to stand by and watch a loved one go through this....but we are thankful he is not alone and we know he is in God's hands. No better place to be!
I will update this again tomorrow or Sat with news of the fever, blood pressure, and how his transplant went. Hopefully all will go well and he will start feeling better very soon.
SPECIAL THANKS: Everyone has been so wonderful with the cards and calls and visits. They have been such an encouragement to Ray. Family and friends have helped the kids with meals and laundry and just wonderful heartfelt visits and calls. Ray and I have been so worried about the medical bills and his loss of partial income and he got a call yesterday that he isn't eligible for long term disability due to this being a 'pre-existing' condition, so he was a bit down. However, none of that matters in comparison to his healing and recovery and we know that God will help provide the rest. Your prayers, love, support, and visits and phone calls and texts DO make a difference!! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedules! A special thanks to our oldest daughter, Ashley, who has been an amazing support to both me and Ray this last week....helping take such good care of her Dad! She has been here almost everyday and has really helped brighten Rays' spirits. Ray's brother, Billy and dear friend of over 45 yrs, Doug Swanson, drove here from Illinios this week to be with him. What a blessing having them here has been! Our dear friends Mike and Carie and sister in law Betty have also been so supportive and a special encouragement, helping with meals and visits and daily phone calls. So many others as well....too many to name. You know who you are and thank you so much!
Our church family at Temple Baptist has been so wonderful, providing meals and visits and prayers. Ray received an envelope full of prayer cards yesterday from church, which really was a huge blessing to him! We know that MANY churches around the country are also praying faithfully for Ray and we appreciate it more than words can say. (Temple Baptist in TX, Faith Baptist in NH, Berean Baptist in IL, South Haven Baptist in TN, North Valley Baptist in CA to name a few) It really gives us peace and comfort to know so many wonderful churches, Pastors, and church families are lifting Ray up in prayer for his healing!
Another huge source of comfort comes from both Ray and my work. Ray's work and manager has been so supportive; his manager, Matt and several of his co workers visited him this week...really brightening his day! He just loves his job and the people he works with and already misses it. His work and especially his manager and co workers have been so supportive and concerned and just amazing. My work has been equally supportive and caring and it has just made it so much more peaceful and taken that burden off of our shoulders. I have ample time off to spend this critical time supporting Ray and I am so appreciative. I have a wonderfully caring and supportive manager, executive staff, and my own team full of support and thoughts and prayers. It means more than words can say.
Thanks again and may God continue to bless you and yours with healthy families and loved ones. Our health is so often taken for granted and good health is such a blessing.
Check back in a day or two for an update on Ray's transplant and his fever!!
Love to all!
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