tyler’s donor is official!
The transplant team has selected the donor for Tyler! Between the two 10 out of 10 matches, a 43-year-old man from Europe (still don’t know what country) proved to be the best match. He does not have the same blood type, so Ty’s blood type will actually change to that of his donor’s after the transplant. The other […]
update on chemo course #3
Tyler’s course so far since he arrived back at the hospital has been a little touch and go, but mostly he’s felt pretty well in comparison with the last few weeks. The high dose Ara-C is causing headaches, nausea and vomiting, but it seems mostly to be contained to the hours right after he takes […]
so far so good!
Tyler’s last IV chemo was Wednesday morning. He never got the expected eye infection with the high dose Ara-C and no longer has to take the steroid drops! He started taking the sorafenib Wednesday night, and unfortunately almost immediately started back with the rash. Since it’s still very mild right now, they are continuing to give […]
and the dreaded side effect is back
Well, we knew it was a possibility, and sure enough, on day 10 of this hospitalization, Tyler’s mucositis is back. Later today he will be getting a pain pump so he can at least tolerate drinking. Right now his tongue and throat hurt too much to either eat or drink. Compared to yesterday, he is […]
fast and furious
Today and yesterday were bad days. His mucositis progressed at a fast and furious pace. By yesterday evening, he was unable to speak or swallow easily, so the decision was made to try an NG tube again. By midnight, they stopped trying and gave him a break until today. Today they tried everything possible to make […]
three months
As I write this, it’s exactly three months to the minute (midnight) that we found out Tyler had leukemia. It’s so hard to believe that he was admitted to JHH with a diagnosis of AML that long ago. In some ways the time has sped by (how can it be December already?); in others it feels like we’ve […]
trying to stay out of the picu
We’re exhausted, Tyler most of all. Starting at 4 AM yesterday, Tyler began throwing up frequently. His constant dry cough became very loose. Every time he coughed, he vomited. Every time the mucous from his mucositis got unmanageable, he vomited. Just about everytime he shifted in his bed, he vomited. Around 11 AM yesterday, they gave […]
update on tyler’s condition
Tyler is holding his own. His cultures today still showed bacterial growth; so he’s still fighting infection. At one point his fever hit 103.8. Tyler needed more platelets today. The good news is they determined it wasn’t the platelets yesterday that made him sick, but rather his mouth sores becoming infected. Tyler hasn’t vomited since about 1:00 […]
still in isolation
Tyler’s still feeling very sick, but showing definite signs of improvement. He was wide awake all last night and most of today due to an incessant cough. His viral testing came back negative, but because of the cough, he remains in isolation. Tyler is definitely responding to the Zosyn and Vancomycin since his cultures were negative […]
four days of misery
Tyler’s severe GI distress in response to the antibiotics and mucositis continues. In the past four days he’s gotten about 5 hours of sleep total. It is taking a toll. The sores in his mouth are practically gone, but apparently this time the mucositis is affecting the lower part of his GI tract instead. His cough […]
scans and scopes
Since Tyler has continued to carry a low grade fever, he had a CT scan with contrast of his sinuses, lungs and abdomen yesterday to see what other possible infections may be hiding in there. The scan showed possible areas for concern in all three locations. Today ENT scoped his sinuses (not very pleasant for him), and we’re waiting […]
much better
Yesterday evening was a real turning point for Tyler healthwise. He FINALLY got a full night’s sleep – 7 hours – then got a 3.5 hour nap today as well. His GI issues have mostly resolved, and he’s been fever free. Today they cut his Vancomycin dose in half. Also, his isolation status was lifted today! […]
walking and eating are difficult
Tyler continues to improve. The past two days, we were kind of shocked at how difficult it was for Tyler to start walking again. He actually could barely even stand. After a blood transfusion and a bolus, today he walked from one side of the room to the other, and did great! Later this afternoon […]
God’s taking care of us
I just have to share some stories of how God is taking care of us during this ordeal. The past few weeks, we’ve had serious car trouble. Our car had to go to the shop twice in three days, with a really huge repair cost. While our car was in the shop for the second time, our truck’s brakes started […]
almost home!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably have cause to say it again: things move quickly on the cancer ward. On Saturday, Tyler’s ANC rose from zero to 60. Today, it is 100. Chances are pretty good he’ll reach 200 tomorrow, and that means getting discharged! They weren’t even expecting his ANC to start recovering until […]