Gone Fishin'

Well, the docs kicked the steroids and immunosuppressants up a notch and that damped down the rash and improved Joe's energy level. There's no other evidence of GVHD from all the tests they put Joe through recently. We need to be on guard for guerrilla war tactics of Joe's little army of cells sneaking out of the bushes to fight the donor cells for territory as we go through the tapering process.

But, we'll fight this with meds, food, wine, comedy and camping. We enjoyed a truly splendid dinner with friends at a local restaurant this week. Joe's cooking up chicken with fresh ingredients he bought at the market today.

In this entry, I'd like to announce that I will NOT be running for president and Joe's Gathering Blog will be going on indefinite sabbatical. There's a lot of research to be done in the realm of medieval warfare and art history, so we'll be focusing on that, not to mention hanging out at the neighborhood pool.

Thank-you for all your support, positive thoughts, and medicinal silliness. Keep it coming. You know where to find us, both electronically and in the real world. Drop us a line anytime.

Have a great summer!
Cheers!

Not the End of the World

Joe got some more tests and we've got another appointment this week. The rash has returned :-( but it's not the end of the world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hJQ18S6aag&feature=youtu.be

Our Lady of Fa-tee-gue

Oh, sorry, that's Our Lady of Fatima. But, this fatigue (or FA-TEE-GUE as my dad used to say) is for the birds. That's basically what we told the doc this week. He prescribed some "topical" steroids that are taken internally, believe it or not, since he doesn't want to increase the systemic steroids that we're trying to taper, taper, taper. If this doesn't help, we'll do some extra tests. Joe still looks good on paper, which is a good thing. Other good things include the occasional sunshine we're getting in between the clouds and rain showers and the neighbor's beautiful pink weeping cherry tree. Come on Spring! You can do it!

Keepin' On Keepin' On

Joe's still feeling a bit blah and an occasional lab value will stray from the expected, thumbing its nose at us. But, we're getting to the market and the dog park each week. We saw a nice little exhibit on mid-century modern architecture followed by lunch at the new Cuban-inspired restaurant. This week we have plans to meet friends for dinner, check out a lecture on mammoths and ... ta da ... plan our upcoming camping trips. Take that, you nasty weather!

Looks Good on Paper

Joe looks great on paper (he always does). His labs are great, his platelet count is in the normal range. He still feels a little blah, though. Not uncommon at this stage. Of course, this being tax season, I think we're all feeling a little blah. Joe looks so good on paper that we don't need to see the doc again for another two weeks. Don't even need to have blood drawn for labs in between visits. We usually go to Angelo's after those brief lab visits. We'll just have to push ourselves to go out for breakfast anyway. Happy Spring Showers!

Happy Day 127

Happy Day 127 Post Transplant. Joe continues to slowly taper the steroids, and the labs indicate that his body is making its own steroids. His checkup went well today, all the numbers relatively good, some down a bit from last week, but overall positive. Cold comfort to Mr. ImmunoSuppressed who's sleeping a lot more and has wretched cold-like symptoms. No indication of flu, so this may just be how a cold or allergies can affect a recovering transplant patient. As Pogo's friend Howland Owl says, "When I says 'OOG!' does that suggest anythin'?" A raft of tests just showed up on our clinic schedule in mid-May for the Day 180 checkup. That'll be 6 months, can you believe it? Today, the doctor said, "Almost done."

Still hangin' in there

Joe's still ahead of the curve. The new healthy donor cells are taking over and he's tapering the various drugs like steroids and immunosuppressants. He's been a little tired recently since his own steroids (I guess we all have them) are not yet picking up the slack as he tapers the steroid meds. But he still continues to cook, read, write, create, crack wise and good stuff like that. He made a great sausage quiche and terrific fried zucchini and eggplant the other night. Yum.

Happy Day 100

It's Day 100 after Joe's transplant. He's done a stellar job of keepin' it boring. Big thanks to our First Lieutenant of Care Giving, my sisters, friends and fambly. Joe was rewarded with a full day of scans and other procedures. He continues to taper the steroids. Assuming we keep "cruising in the right direction", he'll start tapering the immunosuppressants. He's doing so well that our next doc's appointment is in two weeks. That leaves more time for shoveling and getting to know our brand-new-just-in-the-nick-of-time plug-in electric snow blower. Sweet.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Things are still "cruising along in the right direction" as the doctor says. More platelets and less puffy feet. We celebrated increased platelet count along with Coney Dog's 10th anniversary by having a nice dinner at home that included a Big Steak with a Big Bone.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Things are OK

Things are still moving in the right direction. More platelets, less puffy feet. We're keeping warm and well fed and trying to keep the snow shoveled. Cheers from Winter Wonderland.

Pile on those Platelets

As Dr. McLuggage mentions in his comment to the previous post, the platelet count is going up, an increase of nearly 20,000 in the last three days. Yay. Things seem to be moving in the right direction and we continue to take the sage clinical advice of the doc, "Be Careful."

And now for the sartorial news, $900 solar cargo pants that let you charge your smart phone in a pocket:

http://isneach.com/blog/?p=27239

One Drug Down, Sixteen to Go

The doc told Joe to stop taking the study drug since it seemed to be lowering his platelet count. Platelets are lower than normal, but stable. Puffy feet are getting better. The doc tapered the steroids further. Good stuff. We celebrated with an exciting trip to Ace Hardware. Yay.

And, now for the Beaver News:

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/trejbal/wb/273944

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/17/132995163/beavers-stay-busy-at-ski-resort

Joe Unplugged

Doc said Joe was "on track". Yay. Lab results are lookin' good, we can back off the steroids (double yay), and Joe doesn't need to cart around the portable IV pump anymore. We raised our glasses to that last night. Joe continues to provide tasty meals (lamb shank, potatoes and green beans last night), which are medicinal for both of us (Coney doesn't mind it either). Joe will have his 60 day "anniversary", as they call it, next Wednesday, which we will celebrate with a visit to the clinic (woohoo), but I'm sure we'll celebrate with a tasty meal in the evening.

And, now for the Silly Corner:

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/07/5785883-man-with-a-lamb-cruises-havana-by-motorcycle

15 Minute Hospital Appointment? Impossible.

Instead of posting, I've been enjoying walks with Coney Dog in the cold and sunny weather, meeting up with Coney's doggie friends. Nothing like a game of tug with a discarded glove or gourd. All's well. The puffy feet and legs from the steroids are a drag, but Joe's doing a great job of managing that situation. Believe it or not, we had a 15 minute appointment for a CT Scan today! Gave us time to stop by Kerrytown to lay in some more provisions (meat!) and get a latte. We see the doc tomorrow.

And now for something completely different, a mini "Panda Cow":

http://www.thedailybeast.com/video/item/panda-cow-on-good-morning-america

Cruisin' Along ...

... that's what the doc said at our clinic appointment on Monday. Still moving in the right direction. After 4.5 hours getting labs, meeting with the doc, and waiting and waiting for med refills, we said, "Goodbye, Clinic" for another week. Did have a nice brunch break at the Northside and the sun even peaked out every once in a while.

And now for something completely different, polar bears "playing" with spy cams:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12070732