Remember the excitement as a child as you counted the days down until Christmas Day? I would say that is what we are anticipating next week. Christmas Day – just a little early.

On Monday, we ran into a patient who is about 12 days ahead of Dave in the bone marrow transplant process. Honestly, when she was discharged, we both said a prayer that she would make it through this next hurdle. She struggled just to walk down the hospital halls. When we saw her at the Karmanos Clinic two days ago, she had a smile on her face, a spring in her step and a sassy sense of humor. It was just what we needed to see in order to help us get through this rough week. We are now counting down the days until Dave can experience the same physical transformation. Being responsible for over 30 pills each day and a four-hour IV, the side effects are immense.

On a positive note, his counts are holding and he has not needed any transfusions. He has developed thrush in his mouth, though, which is making it difficult to eat and drink anything. If you knew Dave as a high school junior, maybe you can remember a svelte 180-pound running back, dodging even the quickest of opponents. However, today, weighing in at a weak 180 (down 33 pounds), I’m positive that those same opponents would be able to take him down without much effort.

So, we meet with the doctor tomorrow at Karmanos to undergo our bi-weekly lab work and evaluations. We hope that some of these medications are cut back, which should eliminate some side effects. We also hope that this weekend, I will be able to cook some of his favorites and hope he eats well – just like it’s Christmas Day!