Phase III - And now it begins.
I hope you have enjoyed the clarity of the last two posts, because this is where things become a little less clear. I'll share what we DO know.
March 17. The day we have been waiting for. And truthfully...a tad dreading.
On March 17 we will head to the main campus for our dose of Chemo.
Because Andy has the most incredible support team, we are electing to do his entire SCT outpatient. There are risks and rewards with both inpatient and outpatient. But we do believe that Andy will recover better in his own bed. Drifting in and out of sleep, listening to our house be a house. Listen to the kids. Listening to us screaming at Debbie for barking too much. Drinking his own water (what is it about your own water? Does everyone love their tap water as much as we do?) Laying in his own sheets. But in order to do this...we have to try and create as sterile as an environment as possible -with said children and said dog. This part...I can't wrap my head around. But I'll get there.
If we were to do inpatient, Andy would be in the hospital for approximately 2 weeks.
Monday we will receive chemotherapy. That's about as much as I know. We'll receive Chemo and at some point...we'll go home.
Tuesday, March 18....I don't really know what happens on this day. There is nothing on our calendar and there is nothing in our summary. It's a mystery!
But then on Wednesday, March 19 I know we head back to Froedtert for 'THE INFUSION'.
I don't have a ton of details on this process either. The 1.5 inch binder does not provide a very detailed account the actual transplant. But I promise - as we find out more information - so will you!
After that, we will go back to the hospital each day for our team to 'assess our status'. Each day will include daily weight, vital signs, lab draws, and 'head-to-toe' physical exam. Care and daily discharge will all be dictated by how well Andy is eating, feeling, drinking, lab results, vitals, and questions / education.
This phase is called the 'Myelosppression Phase' which is a word to describe low blood counts and our main concern (well, it's all just a giant concern) is the low white blood cell count, which means Andy is going to be HIGHLY susceptible to everything and anything - hence us creating a sterile environment in our home.
This period lasts until the transplanted cells begin to function and produce new cells. I mean, it lasts beyond that, but this is the highly critical phase. White blood cells are the first to recover and can take an average for two to four weeks. Red blood cells and platelets take longer and so, we may require more transfusions even after the transplant (someone remind me of this in the future!)
Dr. Al told us that 50% of his outpatient patients end up in the hospital at some point during these two weeks. But then he told us that most of his patients are also over the age of 70...so the odds are in our favor. But not to get discouraged if we do end up getting admitted.
This is when my head starts swirling and the words on the page start to blur together - wrapping my head around this post treatment phase. So, we'll let this be enough information for now.
Exactly one Month from today we'll start Phase III....of course, it would also be the shortest month of the year. Time is flying and yet it's standing still!
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