Update from the Other Side

Missy here with a quick update for everyone.  All will be thankful this is quick as I am not a fraction of the writer my husband is.  Since the transplant, all has been moving along as to be expected.  It has been an unpleasant week of new challenges, but Doug has amazing strength and will and still finds a way to find a reason to laugh or smile each day.  The few first days post transplant were filled with a lot of fatigue, nausea and vomiting.  The nausea was pretty much keeping him from doing much of anything except watching Sportscenter. His Dana Farber Schwinn has been sitting quietly in the corner of the room this week.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a text at 4:00 am. saying that the nausea had finally subsided, at least momentarily, but he was now experiencing severe throat pain and sores in his mouth.  Again, par for the course, but horrible nonetheless.  Since yesterday the pain and sores have only worsened to the point where he can not talk, and has he has to regularly suction out his mouth and throat which are basically breaking down.  It is a result of the compound effect of the chemo, radiation and a new drug they give him every few days to help with GVHD.

Tonight they were starting him on IV nutrition and he was going to get a PCA, which is 'Patient Controlled Analgesia', or for those of us only learning all these medical terms, it is basically a pump whereby he can administer his own pain medication.  Not to worry though, it is controlled so he can only have so much every so often.  He has been pretty lopped on the pain meds they are currently giving him through his IV, but his mind is sharp and quick, and he has been communicating as needed through his dry erase board.

His body overall is pretty fragile right now.  The skin on his chest has been literally tearing off with the tape every time he takes a shower and has his ports covered over to keep them dry.  The radiation treatment essentially made his skin like tissue paper.  In spite of all of this he looks pretty good given all that he has been through.

Last weekend the kids were in Boston and were able to go to the hospital to see him.  They had to go through the same routine as anyone else with wearing the mask and gloves.  They had kids sized masks, but they had to wear the adult gloves.  Brogan went in first and as confident as the doctors, walked to the foot of Doug's bed, put his hands down on it and said, "So Dad, how are you doing?" in the most gentle and sincere way.  Ethan came in after Brogan had his visit, his little mask riding up into his eyes and the size small gloves enveloping his arms, and said, "Lighting McQueen says Kachow Daddy!"