Not quite the plans we were making. . . .

Although Jack had a dramatic response - he is not in remission. The doctors all met and are recommending that we go back and repeat the procedure ( with the exception of collections since he has 5 bags of stem cells up there , frozen with his name on them).

So that is what we are going to do. . . . timing is all that is to be determined as long as we go by the end of January. Jack will speak to the doctors again but it looks like if there is no advantage to us going earlier for his treatment then we will wait until after the holidays. We do so love Boston in January and February after all!!!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Cheryl

tests today & weather has much improved!!

Today Jack had a series of tests (including a bone marrow biopsy - his absolute favorite). There was one test that showed his blood protein increased since the December test which is a positive sign. The doctor did knock on wood once she let us know that from preliminary blood results.

The bad news is that we will not get the final results on Wednesday as expected - it won't be until sometime on Friday that we will hear.

There are 2 options that were presented to us today.
1. Is that he is in remission and will have to be rechecked in 6 months and then again every year. This is the one that we want (however with this schedule it puts us in Boston every February instead of in the summer so we are going to have to work a deal - maybe we do 2 six month visits to get us back on the summer vacation track!!)
2. Is that he has had a partial result and the road forks at this point. Option A is that we come back and do more Chemo ( a lower dose) and take his stems cells that are here in deep freeze and repeat the transplant - there is a 30% chance of total result if we do that. Or B is that we wait the 6 months and see the progress of the amyloid - that is not probably the route that we would go but this decision would not be made until after the doctor conference and recommendation which would not be until August 10th.

More waiting!! ugh.

Tomorrow we have meetings with more doctors and an amyloid social ( we have no idea what that is all about but we will find out!)

Heading back to Boston 7/29

Home at Last!!!!!

I have been in Charlotte for 4 days now. I am feeling better every day. Haven't been able to see my kids yet as Jackie caught the flu and both jeff and rob were exposed. I will be able to see them Friday if there is no more sickness in the crowd!

At this point, I am to meet my local doctor twice a month for blood work tests to keep track that my counts continue to go in the right direction. For the next 90 days, I am to avoid crowds. No bowling, golf, band playing, etc... have to watch that I don't catch something or get sick.

Currently working on the plan to get back to work. The Dr has recommended 20 hours per week starting 3/12 working from home. 40 hours working from home starting on 4/9. Back in the office fulltime on 5/7.

I have a follow up appointment in Boston on 7/30/07. I have been told that we will know how successful my treatment was on this date. 50/50 shot of total remission.

Anyhow no more updates for a while unless there is a drastic change. Thanks for all the prayers and support. I definately wouldn't be where I currently am without them. Thanks -Jack

On the road again . . .

The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.--Agnes Repplier


Sorry for the lapse. . .Jack got sprung on Tuesday afternoon and insisted that we leave that day. So we spent hours in Boston rush hour traffic (3 miles in 1 hour). So we made it all the way to Providence, RI!! (which should only take 1 hour). Day 2 and we are in New Jersey - just south of NY, NY.

We will make this a long and leisurely trip but that works since the house is not ready, Jack's daughter has the flu, etc, etc, etc. . . . . . .

Cher

Still here but Jack's not fighting as hard!

People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.--Elizabeth Kubler-Ross .

As you can see we have graduated to the final hairstyle of this adventure.


Jack is still running fevers on and off ( the doctor's believe that they are viral) and we want to take the safest path so we are hanging. We will go to the clinic tomorrow morning for a check but since we have arranged to have some work done on the house - taking our time on both sides makes sense..

It is hard for Jack because he is starting to blame Boston and the cold weather for any set back that he feels. I did remind him that the doctors and I are not keeping him here just to annoy him - we are all committed to the best outcome.

Hurry up and wait!!

To lose patience is to lose the battle.--Mahatma Gandhi

Jack was running a low grade fever today when he was at the clinic and did not have a good night last night - so no discharge for him today! He is unhappy but I would rather err on the side of caution.

Once we leave here - it is all about me until we get to Charlotte.

We have a plan set up through Jack's doctor in Charlotte - the doctors up here have sent him reams and reams of paper and reports and have talked to him to give him the plan. However, in between here and there - I have no back up, no doctors that have a clue, etc. When we leave, my plan is to follow 95 to Richmond and then cut west. I want to be close to large cities all the way home!!

We also made arrangements to have the wood floors refinished at the house (actually we were making these calls from the hospital) since we thought we were a little further out! The soonest we can get back in the house is Sunday (2/25) but it may be as late as 2/29.

Anyway, the doctors put him on oral antibiotics again, did more blood cultures and we have an 11:30 Am appointment with the nurse to do vital signs , track down culture results, call the doctor, etc. A copy of our discharge papers were to be sent to her - just in case there are phone conferences,etc that will get Jack released. There is a very good chance that it will be a Tuesday thing however ( Happy President's Day, everyone!!)

Cher

HAPPY Valentine's Day!!!

Well it is Valentine's Day and we may have made the turn! WBC is 8.3 million. The range should be 4-11 million. I think this is pretty done. RBC is 3.03 on range 4.6-6.2. Platelets are 53. Still low but everything is growing on its own...

I am feeling pretty good now. The main instruction I got was drink two glasses of orange juice because my calcium is low.

Big blizzard up here! Cheryl bought us both boots today. This somehow got Cheryl and I talking about the definition of bargain. She said it meant to get a lot of stuff for a little money. I said, I can't wait to hit the bar a gain. We both have our perspectives.

BIG NEWS!!!!!

The doctors shocked me by saying they could make the decision as early as THIS FRIDAY TO SEND ME HOME TO CHARLOTTE. YEA!!!!

Will let you know on Friday. Going sled ridding now...

Healthy lungs for everyone!

George and Terry look out, this is the exercise machine that Jack is bringing you!!

The following happened during Jack’s first hospital stay .. . but the events have not been enhanced, they happened just this way . . . .
When I arrived in the hospital room in the morning, Jack was just waking up as I entered. He was very agitated. When I asked what was going on I heard " Joe did not give me a bow tie."
It seems that there was some kind of acquisition at the bank and all of the key players received gifts –emeralds for the women and bow ties for the men.
Once I was beginning to catch up on this, the nurse came in and caught the end of the conversation. Then Jack started explaining to her something that she needed to do and once we investigated – there was nothing for her to handle. Then she began asking him if he KNEW it was a dream (remember he was running fevers). I guess his answer was not convincing because she started asking other questions. She started with do you know what day it is. Well, I am sure Lloyd and Kelli can attest to the fact that he never knows what day it is. That is a question that he asks other people about 3 times a day and that is when he is working and has a little more variety to his days than when he is sitting in the hospital. But he did come up with the month and the year so the nurse started to relax.
Then she asked who the president was and he said "Cheryl". His doctors have been telling him that I am the boss but president never came up. At this point, I did tell him that he was on his way to a psych evaluation if he did not straighten up. He then came up with George W.
There are notes in his chart around these events, but he did pull out of it without a visit from the shrink.

Current status:
WBC Yesterday: 4.5 Today: 5.9
RBC Yesterday : 2.91 Today : 2.99
Platelets Yesterday : 48 Today : 49
Notice that everything is creeping up – and he did not even have any cheating factors on those.

Here is the rub – he has no infections and is still running a fever on and off. More off lately but the doctor is running out of things to watch. They sent him down for a cat scan of his chest yesterday because his phosphates were high 607 (normal range is 25-100) to see if there was something going on with his liver even though high readings are not that unusual for people that had this treatment. Nothing unusual there and today it is down to 558 without them doing anything.

He went down for a sinus scan this morning to check that out but a sinus infection should have been handled with the antibiotics. Still waiting for those results.

We are leaning towards some viral flu type of thing, which as you all know they really don’t do anything about.

They are pondering sending him back to the apartment and returning to the clinic routine since they see him there everyday. I figure that they will wait until tomorrow and then I will have to brave the Valentines Day nor’easter that we are expecting to come and get him and all the stuff that he has accumulated in the last 5 days!!

Another day at the hospital . . . . .

The diamond cannot be polished without friction, not man perfected without trials.--Confucius

It seems that we are changing our focus. The blood culture is proving negative for bugs so now we are trying to determine the source of the fevers. There is a fluid build up at the base of Jack's lung that was evident from the ultrasound that they did this morning. They were checking his liver and kidney but those look fine. He is going to have a cat scan tomorrow to give a clearer picture of what is going on. This may be the fever source.

WBC continue to increase - now at 5.5.
RBC is 3.08 even with the blood yesterday so there is work to do.
Platelet count is up to 50.

Quiz answers for jac: 1. c, 2. a, and 3. b

Jack has not been feeling that well today and has been asleep for most of it so I was left to my own devises for this update other than his opinion that it SHOULD be updated every day! c

Settled back into the hospital routine.

"When we are strong, we are always much greater than the things that happen to us."--Thomas Merton

Also getting some sleep ( whole hours!!) helps return you to your basic strength. - C

Quiz answers for jac: 1. a, 2. b, and 3. c

Settled back into the hospital routine. I believe tonight's culinary delight is Salisbury steak, whipped potatoes and green beans.

The WBC is 4.8 up from 3.8 yesterday. Even though this is in the range ( 4.0 -11.0), Jack being of substantial stature needs to be more towards the high end but this is progress. This is the white blood count number that controls infections, which we are still convinced he has as he is still running fevers. They did blood cultures in the ER but it takes 2 days to get the results back and we always seem to work it so there is a weekend in the middle.

RBC was up to 3.18 (should be 4.6-6.2) and was on a downward trend with yesterday's number at 2.79 and today's number at 2.85. Jack is not getting the growth hormone shot to force the cell production so a little drop was expected. He needs to do some work on his own, but I am wondering if his energy is going to making white blood cells since he has infections?? Anyway, they are giving him a blood donation as we speak to bump that up a little.

Platelet count was 54 yesterday, today is 48. Again the wrong direction!! Range should be 150-400.

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love."--Hubert Humphrey
Thanks for all we have recieved!

Happy Birthday George!

Jack & Cheryl

One step forward - three steps back

Wednesday evening, we played and laughed. I saw Jack's American Idol audition (needs to keep his day job).

Thursday night had to take Jack to the ER at 11:30 - he started running a fever. They have readmitted him to the hospital.

Fever, rigor and frustration - his, tears and anxiety - mine and sleep deprivation - both is where we are right now.

Jack is back on IV antibiotics and will be in the hospital for the next few days so they can watch him.

He also has a shadow on his lung that can develop into pneumonia if he doesn't spend more time using his breath exerciser thingy.

Keep praying. C.

I'm out on parole!

I have been released on parole to the apartment. No longer stuck in confinement of the hospital as long as the critical counts are up.

As you can see, I've lost the rest of my hair and I am displaying my wedding band prominently as expected.

I've had to resort to wearing a disguise as the nurses will not allow me to have beer.

The WBC is 4.9. This is at the appropriate level - between 4.0 and 11.0.
RBC is 2.79 and should be 4.6-6.2. This went down a little since yesterday. After 2 additional platelet transfusions the platelet count was 77 today. (Range should be 150-400.) This seems to be what I am having the most trouble replacing on my own.

I appreciate everyone posting to the blog. I read the comments everyday and it really helps us get through. Keep up the good work ....
cher and jack

We're back

Well Terry, you found us out – couldn’t do the blog yesterday. Honeymooning in Paris!

The WBC is 3.5. This is up from .5 so progress is being made but now is the end of the growth factor injections which kind of force them to grow before their time and will die off quickly so Jack will need to grow some on his own now. This white blood count number that controls infections.

Speaking of infections, now there is an infection around the site of the Apheresis catheter. This has been Jack’s friend over the last few weeks since with all the drugs he has been given, blood taken, etc. have been given/taken through that so that he has been a human pin cushion.

They have put a new IV port in his arm and are going to remove the catheter. They made an initial attempt to do it this afternoon but it has healed over more than they were expecting so he will have to go to the experts to have it removed. Though Jack has not had to dance with Cheryl in Paris. He did take the opportunitity to dance with the Nurse while the botched removal on the Cateheter was going on. Catchy tunes were definitately playing.

RBC is 2.81 should be 4.6-6.2.
Platelet count was 46 yesterday, today is 19. (Range should be 150-400.) Wrong direction so got 2 more bags today.

He is down to getting IV antibiotics once a day so if all continues to go well, there is a rumor that he can get sprung from the hospital and return to the apartment!! That is something that we are both looking forward to. We would then go back to our routine of going to the clinic every day and he would get his antibiotics there. Cross your fingers! ....cher and
jack

I've Fallen and can't get up!

Talk about falling down and not being able to get back up. Man this was it! Get my life alert button!!! Everything was ok one minute then the floor fell out. Thanks for waiting on me to get back. Well the WBC is .5. This is the thing that has been eating my lunch. It had been at 0.0 This number should be between 4.0 and 11.0. This is my white blood count number that controls infections. RBC is 3.18 should be 4.6-6.2. Platelete count was 12 yesterday, today is 46. Range should be 150-400.

Which of the following are true statements?

A) Jack is saving at least $500 per policy period by using Geico.
B) The Geico caveman does too many commercials.
C) Jack’s white count has actually made a turn for the better.
D) Jack and Cheryl got married.

E) All of the above.

Platelets today

The view has changed a little from the window!
The white and red counts are still the same (low) so we are where we expected today with those however the platelet count has continued to decrease so Jack will be getting a couple of bags of platelets today. Prior to that they will give him IBenadryl and other special things to reduce chance of hives, allergic reactions etc. I believe this is the same stuff he got prior to the stem cell reinfusion (that he slept through) so I expect him to be out for most, if not all of the day. Not that he is bright and talkative now – other than sharing that I should have arrived between 5 and 5:30 this morning to meet his expectations. Maybe it will be good for him to take a nap today!
He is eating well considering it is hospital fare and is getting impatient for the counts to go up so he will start to feel better. Otherwise, we will be looking at the new view, and watching the drip, drip, drip of saline, antibiotics and platelets!

Mary, thanks for the fill-in. Jack heard me typing and said that the patient should be doing the blog but when I asked him if he was going to do it . . . . . . . the snoring started!
We want to let everyone know that their thoughts and prayers are much appreciated. It also seems that we have expanded some folk’s computer skills in this process. C.

My brother's a fighter

I'm posting again for Jack and Cheryl. Jack is holding his own. The doctors think they know which blood borne infection he has and are giving him the antibiotics to fight it. He is still in the hospital and will be there until his blood counts rise. The doctor said he looked a lot better today than yesterday. Thank God!

Cheryl is amazing and is keeping the hospital folks straight. No one in the room without a mask, no apples or bacteria laden food on the plate and stuff like that. We can't afford any mistakes right now so it's good to know she's on the job.

Still praying hard.

Mary

Bad Times

I'm posting for Jack and Cheryl. Jack was admitted to the hospital today. He had a fever. They took him by ambulance from the clinic to the hospital. They could not get a blood pressure reading in the ambulance. The doctors said it was safer for him to be in the hospital right now. They took blood cultures and will know more in two days. Right now he's getting IV antibiotics. He will be in the hospital at least until Monday. Communicate by blog in lieu of phone right now; Cheryl has her hands full. I'll keep you updated.

Pray hard.

Mary

Phoenix

The legend of the Phoenix has been around for centuries: The Phoenix is a supernatural creature, living for 500 years. Once its life span is over, the Phoenix builds its own funeral pyre, and throws itself into the flames. As it dies, it is reborn anew, and rises from the ashes to live another 500 years.
Right now Jack is in the flame portion of this process. His white blood count is at zero and he is in "protective isolation " and a special low- bacteria diet to reduce chance of infection since he has no immune system at this point. He also has a lack of red blood cells and platelets, so is at risk of bleeding and is very fatigued.
Any little task feels as it takes more energy than he is willing to spare and is not his talkative self. Getting an answer to a question has been a challenge at times. One of the things that he does do when up is to check for comments on the blog site – so for those of you that have figured out how to do that – keep them coming!! They are helpful and it is nice that everyone is sending good thoughts and prayers. I am sure he feels more than a little isolated right now.
His blood pressure on Tuesday when we went in for our daily check was 87/55 (heart rate 100) in a sitting position and 72/48 (heart rate 109) in a standing position. He got hooked up to an IV and had 5 hours of fluids to raise it to an acceptable level. He did sleep through most of the process but did wake up for lunch.
His blood pressure today when we went in for our daily check was 103/52 (heart rate 73) in a sitting position and 80/34 (heart rate 55) in a standing position so guess what we did again today!! He got hooked up to an IV and had 5 hours of fluids to raise it to an acceptable level. He was a little more alert today and once he woke for lunch, he stayed awake until 4:15 when they finally released him back into my care.
I got 2 more prescriptions to fill and I have to take his temperature every 4 hours - I am sure that will go over well at midnight and 4AM.
Hopefully Jack will get some energy soon. The first sign that engraftment is taking place is an increase in the white blood cell count and there is nowhere to go but up from here. (However, the doctors told me that we would probably be in this holding pattern until the weekend). I ask him every day if he is up to updating the blog since he set the bar very high (and he enjoyed doing it). I am sure that is the first thing that he will catch up on when he has the strength so you all will know when he is doing better.
Keep up in your thoughts and prayers – the support has been wonderful. C

Homing

They brought me my previously harvested stem cells still frozen. Each bag was thawed individually before being in infused through my central line. As soon as my new stem cell were infused, they began their trip through my circulatory system to the center of my bones where they began. Sorta like the homing pigeon.

Even though the stem cell start to home right away, it will be a few weeks before the transplant "takes and begins" to produce healthy new blood cells.

I will continue to get Colony-Stimulation Factors to stimulate the production of blood cells in the bone morrow and to multiply more quickly, thereby shortening the time necessary for the stem cell transplant to engraft. Use of the agents can help reduce the incidence of infections and fever, lessen the need for antibiotics and shorten my stay.

We are 75% through the procedure. From here it is post followup and tweaking meds to get me through it the fall-out... -Jack

Re-Birth is upon me!

After two straight days of Chemo we have Nuked all that was bad in my body. Unfortunately, we have also Nuked was was good in my body. If we stopped here it would be a downward spiral where there could be no return....but Tomorrow the re-birth is coming as long as they didn't misplace my stem cells!!!!

We have decided to put around 6 million stem cells back in. It is in approximately 5 bags and will take 2.5 hours to unthaw and to load if there are no complications. Will use that same great machine that we extracted them with to put them back. Tomorrow is considered day 0. Everything builds from here. We will be considered through stage 3, 75% complete after tomorrow. Only post follow up visits afterwards...

That's it for the day, going to see what movies are in the queue. Won't be leaving the apartment much for the next week or so. Got to stay away from all the germs out there. Now that I think about it. It is now in single digit temperatures in Boston, I could probably get out as there aren't many germs living in this weather... -jack

Nuclear Fallout! New undisclosed location is necessary!

As you can see from the pictures it actually happened today. I got nuked...We are reporting from an undisclosed location again.

Have to wear the protective mask as contaminates are everywhere. Took preemptive measures by cutting my hair short as I was exposed to the fallout at the maximum level that a human can have. It is inevitable that my hair will fall out!!!!!

The radiation meter pegged 200mg of Meliphalan IV for 20 straight minutes. I hydrated for 3 hrs before and 3 hrs after the exposure with a potassium saline solution. For the 20 minute exposure I packed my mouth full of ice chips. This was to minimize the destruction to the inside of my mouth and my digestive track. Took several pills to combat the nausea and vomiting. Afterward I had another great meatball sub. May be the last real food I have for a while.

I will be exposed to the same treatment tomorrow .

Got my counts today. They will start going down over the next few days. When they come back to the following levels I will be able to leave the bunker and come home:

Automated Neutrophil 3.6
WBC 5.2
HCT 35.6
Platelet Count 233
Bun 25
Creatinine 1.0.

Got to go watch some movies. Thinking of Terminator 3... talk to you tomorrow -jack

Drugs, Cat and Mouse, Where are they till Tuesday?

They tracked him any way they could, watching him through binoculars, bugging his Ford Escape, flying over him in a Cessna plane to pick up his conversations, and trying to intercept them with an antenna atop Church Park Apartments.

It was a two-day game of cat and mouse, as the DEA monitored the movements of "Zaney" Jack and his lieutenant "Cheryl" in a frustrating quest to snare him. But Jack went to BUMC today and plotted out which pills, which days, what times he would be taking them with "Stem Cell" Kate!

Nothing else to do now that they pushed Chemo back till Tuesday of next week. Zaney Jack and Cheryl are off to enjoy the weekend. Next update Tuesday.... -Jack

Would you buy drugs from this man?

Met with the Doctor to review the meds I will need to take after the chemo and stem cell transplant. Good news! I no longer have to take my Lipitor.

I was wondering should I skip taking them and just sell them as a "controlled subtance" instead....

The doctor said that with the next phase I might not feel very well with the treatment so they are giving me some meds that should help me improve how I feel.

Here is the list I must take starting next week and what I can expect from each.

Acyclovir 400mg, 1 tablet 3 times a day - nausea,headache,sore throat,rash,numbness,leg pains
Levoquin 250mg, 1 ea day - dizziness,loss of appetite,diarrhea,drowsiness,vision changes
Diflucan 100mg, 1 ea day - nausea,abdominal pain,diarrhea,dyspepsia,headache,loss of hair
Ativan .5mg, 1 to 2 tablets, 3 times a day - dry mouth,chest pain,trouble breathing,hallucinations,constipation
Decadron 4mg, 1 tablet 2 times a day - Indigestion,nausea,dizziness,swelling,blurred vision,trouble breathing
Compazine 10mg, 1 tablet 4 times a day - Drowsiness,muscle stiffness,eye problems,uncontrollable movements
Ktril 1mg, 1 tablet 2 times a day - Headache,dizziness,anxiety,difficulty sleeping,diarhea
Protonix 40mg, 1 ea day - Headache,abdoninal pain,nausea,flatuence,rash,feaver,edema
Ambien 5mg, 1 at bedtime - Drowsiness, dizziness
Furosemide 40mg, 1 tabket 2 times a day - Blurred vision,loss of appetite,stomach cramps, yellow vision

Anybody want some? I decided that I will take them instead of selling them since I was told they will help me feel better... Being the internal optimist that I am I would hate to think of what I would feel like without them...

Thats all for now!!! -jack

The Psychiatric Hotline - I knew it was coming!

Met with the Shrink today. He wanted to make sure that emotionally I was ready for the treatment. I told him that I passed all my psychiatric issues on to my children (see above picture) and that I was free and clear of psychiatric issues unless I called upon them on demand.

He asked the basics: are you obsessive compulsive, are you co-dependent, do you have multiple personalities, are you paranoid-delusional, are you schizophrenic, are you manic depressive, etc... I did share that given the leadership qualities it took to manage my life at work and home, I shifted from anyone of the above categories to another given whatever was needed for the specific situation. I asked him based on the treatment I was having which of the above was most likely to surface. He didn't have a good answer for me so I just asked him to prescribe the normal 1-2 punch of Prozac and Zoloft.

Today was the last day of stem cell collection. Got 10.1 million total. 7.1 million yesterday and 3 million today. Only needed 2.5 million. I am now 25% complete with my treatment. Will get a great hair cut by the end of the week and pick up 10 more prescriptions to take with the Chemo starting on Monday... Talk to you tomorrow -Jack

Exceeding expectations - Thanks for the prayers!

Today was a lot of hard work. Showed up at the clinic at 8am and didn't leave till 4:30pm. The goal was to collect atleast 2.5 million stem cells over 3 days and hope for 5 million. It is nothing short of a miracle or more likely based on everyones prayers.

After the first day on the "machine" we collected 7.1 million stem cells. I will go back in tomorrow for 1/2 day to collect a few million more and then I am done till the chemo on Monday. We will use 5 million in the treatment and store the other 5 million in case I need it over the next ten years.

For any of you that are interested in how the process works. The COBE Spectra Apheresis System (see picture above)has a centrifugal technology that takes whole blood; separates it into red blood cells, platelets, plasma, and white blood cells; collects the stem cells out of the white blood cells; and then reheats to body temperature and returns all the other components back to the blood stream. Today we cycled completely thru my blood 4 times in and out of that machine. It took about 6 hours, 2 DVDs (ladder 49 and glory days) and 1 meat ball sandwich to get thru it. At the end of the treatment I was 5 lbs heavier. Talk about a big meatball sandwich. That is what I thought. The Doctor said it was the 5 lbs of saline solution that they mixed back with my blood. I will have to take double the lasix tonight to get rid of that...

That's it for the day. It is tequila Tuesday at the Cactus Club. Going out for couple margaritas and perhaps a chimichonga. No... I didn't ask if I could drink alcohol on the treatment plan. Didn't think I would get the response I wanted...

It only rains in southern Boston MA

I thought it only rains in Southern California but...it rained on Friday, it rained on Saturday, it rained on Sunday and its raining today in Boston. Lucky I am not staying in a hotel room. It would be driving me crazy even with all the DVD's I have to watch.

I have only slept 3 or 4 hrs a night for the last 3 nights. As a result, I nominated myself as the community watch person on Massachusetts Ave. I look over the city all night long looking for car breakins, murders and robberies with my phone in hand poised to call 911 if I see anything. As you can see from my view on the 11th floor, I can cover a very large area.

Only thing so far was on Saturday night when I seen a girl slap her man across the face, he took off his coat and raised his fits as if he was going to punch her out and screamed you F*in B*ch. Just as I was about to hit 911 they started hugging and kissing. I guess the city is safe again.

Well today I got another 3 shots of growth hormones, lets hope for another 1 million stem cells in the blood. My blood pressure was back up 110/67. Good enough to start the stem cell collection tomorrow. Next 3 days I will be putting in full days at the office. I was told to arrive by 8am and I would be out by 4:30pm... Tomorrow is another day!

What makes your blood pressure rise? Certainly, not my happy family!

Apparently my normal blood pressure of 110/65 is due to all the stress at my job and at home. Now the I have been in Boston for a week with no issues to contemplate or decisions to make, its dropped to 74/50.

I knew I was in trouble when the Doctor said she was the "big boss" and Cheryl was the "little boss" and was not even going to be the "boss of me". She said relationships can be tested with the treatment if the patient decided to make his own decisions and she wanted me to know upfront what the pecking order was. I tried to test that theory today when Cheryl put one of those "green vegetables" on my plate. When I "accidentally" dropped it the floor, I thought I was off the hook but Cheryl held me down and shoved it in my face anyway. Glad this wasn't Chemo week... that could kill me.

Anyhow today was not eventful, got a bag of saline solution dumped in my central line to replenish my fluids (that's why the Doctor thought my blood pressure was low) and got 3 more shots the growth hormones to get another million stem cells in the blood for Tuesday.

Got to go, the Patriots are playing and Cheryl said there will be more green vegetables if I don't get in there and watch it with her...

Wonder how Cheryl would look in a Nurse outfit!

Two days have passed since I was with Nurse "Sexy" Simone. Now I am wondering what Cheryl would look like in a Nurses outfit. I think it is only fair that she dress up. She is my care giver after all.

Today I got 3 shots of growth hormones. They are suppose to make the stem cells jump out of my bones and into the blood stream. I was told my bones would ache after the injections. I wonder if I will be able to tell the difference between aching bones at 50 yrs old vs aching bones because of growth hormone injections. I need to collect at least 2.5 million for the treatment. We are hoping for 5 million. I will get additional shots tomorrow and Monday.

Got to go. Got 1500 pieces of a puzzle to put together, 33 movies to watch and 3 books to read. Not much time for anything else...-jack

I always liked Nurses for some reason

Another 8 hours at the hospital. I thought "No time to play!" It is just like my job at Wachovia. Boy was I wrong. Got there at 7am today, my nurse Judy got real friendly right from the start. Stripped me down to my boxers, started calling me honey and made me get in bed. From there she took me to see another nurse and a female Doctor. They shaved my chest bare. The one she introduced as sexy Simone rubbed my chest down with some type of oil and then filled my veins up with some good drugs and the one playing the Doctor drilled a hole from my neck to my artery going into my heart. She inserted a two-prong line that she said we'd play with over the next two weeks. Another lucky day, can't wait till tomorrow!!!-Jack

There is a God!!

Met with the nutritionist today. She put me on a high calorie, high protein diet. Lots of red meat, eggs, cheese, etc. All of my favorates. She said I was looking a little thin and wanted to ensure that I was as strong as could be for the treatment. Got to admit it, never considered myself a thin man but she is the expert. Tomorrow they will put in my Central line and Friday I have the day off...

Started doctor's visits and more tests.
Phone number at apartment is 617-536-0361. There is an answering machine set up so leave a message if we are not there.

On the road . . .

Got a late start out of Charlotte on Saturday but made it to historic Lexington, Ky. As we passed a familiar smell, we did wonder - are there no skunks in Charlotte? Up north that was a normal event but we don't remember that happening home??
We did stop for a late lunch in Harrisburg,PA ( not our favorite city!) and watched football. GO PATRIOTS!!!
In Newburgh, NY - have about 4 hours left but did not want to move into the apartment at midnight. We also caught the end of the "other" game. (sorry, Dad).

Change of address!! Seems that the people that are in the one we were getting are not ready to vacate!

New address is 221 Massachusetts Avenue APT # 1104.

The following is highlights of Jack's schedule for January.
Leaving here Saturday - 1st appointment is 1:45 pm on 1/9 for some tests.
1/11 - Catheter placement
1/12 - 1/15 Growth factor injections
1/15 - 1/17 Stem Cell collection
1/22 - 1/23 Chemotherapy
1/25 - Stem Cell infusion
1/26- ??? Growth factor and antibiotics every day until blood counts return to normal