BMT Day +3!

The hospital I am at, started a new therapy within the last month, called “red light therapy”. Maybe you have heard of it or even have a machine at home, but this is one of the many tools used to help manage bone marrow transplant side effects, such as mucositis (sores in mouth). Who knew?

Being at Day +3 reminds me that I’ve been here over a week already, and I am finally in the “plus stage” of this all. Day 0 marks the day of transplant, and any day after, is considered a plus day. What’s so significant about plus days you might ask? When you have a bone marrow transplant, all the days leading up to the transplant, mainly including the days of chemo, are considered minus days. The actual day of transplant is considered Day 0, like I mentioned, and it is often coined as your new “birthday”. Quite literally. People often celebrate this day, much like they would a regular birthday, with balloons and cake. It is seen as a chance at new life again.

As for the bone marrow transplant, the stem cells look like tomato bisque, as Dan would call it, going into my body. Even more fascinating is the fact that when you hold a flashlight up against the tube, you can see all of the cells that are in each drip. It was incredible!

We just couldn’t be more thankful to the donor who gave up her time and energy to do this for someone she doesn’t know. I have been in awe of that fact and still am, knowing what is going through my body, isn’t mine, but someone else’s – her donation. She doesn’t get any compensation for doing so. It was all a gift from her heart. Incredibly humbling!

Below are the first few drips going into my line. It is truly a very anticlimactic experience that lasts about 45 minutes. It’s not different than any other transfusion, but the knowledge we are able to have, knowing what’s occurring, makes it so special.

Dan brought in Happy Birthday cupcakes to celebrate!

Now it’s the uphill climb. Side effects are assumed to worsen over the next few days, but that is something we are really praying against. Diarrhea, mouth sores, fatigue, often play a role in the healing process, but we pray God protects my body from those. It is at times daunting to think I’ll be here for at least another week yet, but we again, pray that God would work in a miraculous way and that my counts will recover quickly! I am so ready to be home with my family and be in the comforts of my own home. I even miss Maggie coming over and nudging her wet nose under my hand to pet her. Never thought I’d see the day!

Overall though, I feel I am doing well. I feel we’ve been able to manage the side effects pretty well, I’ve been able to go on my walks, shower regularly (you may chuckle, but that is a lot of work when you don’t feel great), and rest when I need to.

God has and will continue to sustain us through it all!

So here’s to a few more weeks in the hospital, but I am courageously praying that maybe it’ll only be one more week. It’s in the Lord’s hands, so I just have to be patient and let Him do His thing too.

Thank you for all of the prayers and encouragement given to me and my family. It’s a trying time for us, but we are getting through it by God’s grace alone. Thank you and praise, honor, and glory to Him!