Guest Blog Spot....

Quick update - Doug is going to be starting a new drug tomorrow in the hopes that it will control the GVHD and help to start to repair all of the damage he has had in his gut and small intestine.  Although his liver responded well to the steroids, his gut did not and appears to be steroid refractory.  

If the new drug works it will take 5-10 days before we see any improvement.  If the drug does not work, they will have to move on to another agent.  He has had a rough week with the GVHD.  All that was good over the weekend went south on Monday when he started having blood presenting alongside his GI issues.  The smarty pants intern tried to tell him it was from the sips of liquid he was having over the weekend.  His wise old doctor, said not a chance and told Doug he can continue to have some very small sips of liquid as long as he keeps it in check.

We have a guest blogger this week.  Doug's college room mate, Jimmy, made a long trek to Boston from Syracuse, NY to pay Doug a visit.  Jim definitely helped to life his spirits and it was great for Doug to have a fresh mug to look at.  He has been very reserved about having visitors due to his GI issues, but most of it is nothing Jimmy hasn't seen before.

I had the good fortune to spend Saturday night and Sunday morning visiting with Doug and his family in Boston. Like many of you, I have anxiously awaited and so much appreciated the updates via this blog. I hope here to contribute another perspective and to share some of my experience for those who cannot be with Doug right now.

Doug and I were college roommates, so it felt oddly nostalgic to be with him in a small institutionalized room with sparse furniture and tiled floor. And, to be frank, there was one time or two back then that I witnessed him in severe gastrointestinal distress, but it never lasted for a month like this horrendous bout. Physically, Doug is in pretty rough condition, but I was there amidst a few positive developments. As Missy mentioned in her Monday blog post, he has had a couple consecutive good days in terms of nausea and vomiting. Also, he is now allowed to sip some liquids, as opposed to just wetting his mouth and spitting or suctioning it out. He will have to wait for the fruit concoction described in his interview, but this was a milestone nonetheless, especially since his first sips did not have negative repercussions.

Mentally, Doug is Doug, which was awesome and heartening to witness. His speech was a little slowed, and he occasionally drifted asleep and carried our conversation into his dreams, some of which excruciatingly involved the franchise Edible Arrangements. But he was otherwise lucid, intense, and full of conviction as we talked about plans for the future - everything from a canoe camping trip to trying to take as good of care of his family as they are taking of him. And as if there was any doubt from the blog posts, his sense of humor remains indomitable. When he was telling me about the letter from his donor, he took advantage of my gullibility by claiming that the donor was named Matt, and was from Chester, CT. As I mentally connected the dots suggesting that, no way!, could it be one of our old high school friends?!, he admitted he was pulling my leg.

As I drove out of Boston I felt sadness for the suffering that my friend and his family are enduring. But that was eclipsed by the reassurance that Doug is as strong and tough and determined as we all know he is. The veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the man who backpacked the length of Vermont in 18 days, the student who bravely signed on as my roommate - twice! – is confronting the next life challenge with his usual humor, good nature, and grace.