Day "365"...HAPPY BMT BIRTHDAY!

Happy One Year BMT Birthday Jeff! What a ride it has been! Jeff and I have spent a lot of time in reflection over the past couple of days. We have laughed, we have cried, but more than anything, we have been filled with gratitude! Gratitude for life, for health, for family, for our beautiful children, and for the help we have received both spiritually and physically over the past year. When Jeff's transplant coordinator told us we could plan on a year to a year and a half recovery time, I did not believe her. Really, could it take that long? The answer is...YES! It seems like only yesterday Jeff was lying in a hospital bed. I am amazed at how far he has come over the course of the year. He is still not the man I knew a few years back, but I see glimpses of that guy every now and again. He is back into riding horses, playing basketball every now and then, and my honey-do list! As his medications decrease, his energy level increases. As of the first of October, his blood levels were still not in the "normal" range, but they were finally "approaching." My kids LOVE being with him. He has had a rare opportunity to spend day in and day out with them during this recovery process. The relationship they have built is priceless and could not have been built any other way. I am so proud you, Jeff! Thanks for being a great example of enduring to the end! Keep fighting. Soon, this will be a CRAZY memory for all of us! :) You amaze me! Happy Birthday.

Day "147"

Okay...so I know I have failed most of you by not posting for forty-six days, but you have to understand--something had to give! I will try to sum up the last month and a half fairly quickly since Jeff is watching over my shoulder wishing I would just give the blog thing up! As he has read through the previous posts, he is shocked and amazed by what he doesn't remember and the fact that his wife posted it for all the WORLD to see! Those of you who know Jeff well know that he hates to be in the spot light...and for that reason alone, I was surprised that he allowed me to blog his story this long.

As many of you know, Jeff's blood counts have been hanging out in the low range. For that reason, we had to travel back to Huntsman once a week for the first month we were home. Then, when his counts remained low but consistent, Jeff was able to see our oncologist here in St. George every other week. So, our trek to SLC came every other week. Then, on Day 133, since Jeff had not required a blood transfusion since leaving the hospital in January, his doctor decided he could have his central line removed! I have posted pictures of it, and those of you who were in our sacrament meeting yesterday know how he felt about me taking them--just for the record, I was not on a chair, I was standing quietly by the side of the bed! :) I just continue to tell him that someday he will thank me for four months of constant pictures! He decided not to be sedated for the removal, and he doesn't recommend it! He compares it to the scene on Braveheart where one guy is pulling another mans' intestines out! Then, to top it off, his crazy wife is snapping pictures! A central line is a major risk factor for infection, so it was good to get out. Also on that day, the doctor and pharmacist decided to begin tapering his cyclosporine (immunosuppressant) dosage. He is on an extremely high dose morning and night, so over the next nine months (until December) that dose will reduce to nothing. In the last week and a half, I have been excited to see glimpses of the man I married...playing with the kids, working in the yard (against my better judgement, but at least with a mask and gloves on), making a to do list, etc. I tell people all the time that he is beginning to have more good days than bad. We can't ask for anything more than that! Today, Day 147, Jeff had a doctor appointment here in St. George. After having his blood drawn, we waited in the room for the results. As Dr. Manalo began to read them off to us, we had her check to make sure it was Jeff's results. Each and every blood count had risen substantially. His white blood count was actually in the normal range! Jeff hasn't been normal for more than a year! The other blood counts are still lower than normal, but the fact that progress was made is priceless! Jeff is still extremely tired and has to stay clear of any sickness. He still has bladder issues that we are hoping are temporary. He is in no way out of the woods, but we can see the light at the edge of the forest. We are only going up to Huntsman once a month at this point, and eventually it will be every other, then every six months, then yearly! Now that is something to look forward to! Jeff has asked for this to be my last post, and since he asked nicely, I will comply. At least we end on a postive note! Thank you for your support, comments, and prayers. We could not have done it without you!

Day "101"

Our little family moved into our first home in December of 2007. We had planned to landscape our front yard in the fall of 2008, but as you are well aware, we were out of town for most of the season! :) For some crazy reason, I don't have a picture of how we left our home in November, but just imagine dirt and tumble weeds as the before picture. The rest are what we saw when we turned the corner and headed for home! Jeff was shocked and ecstatic! He asked me if I had drawn up the landscape plans because it was exactly what he would have wanted! In all honesty, I had nothing to do with it! The project was planned and carried out by the Little Valley 1st Ward members as well as several family members. I wish I had a list of those who helped so I could thank them individually, but I hear that there was a combination of young and old working together to create this masterpiece! (If someone does have a list, I would love to get my hands on it!) Anyway, I guess the grass is coming this weekend, and I can't wait to see the final outcome! It is very low maintenance and beautiful (which is great since I will be the one taking care of the place for a while)! :) My biggest worry at this point is keeping those cute tulips alive...I killed everything I tried to grow last year! My kids and I spent all morning and some of the afternoon in the sandbox (Kolten was afraid of our dog, so I couldn't have gone inside if I wanted to!)! We are loving the change of scenery and we feel very blessed to be home! O-ya...I almost forgot the big change inside our house! We are now sporting a surround system that shakes our windows thanks to some old high school buddies of Jeff's! I'm sure our neighbors thought our house was blowing up while Jeff and his brothers were watching U-571 yesterday afternoon! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We appreciate all your help through this crazy process. We could not have survived it without your prayers and support. In the 2008 October General Conference, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin gave an amazing talk that Jeff and I read several times over the last three months. In that talk he stated, "the Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude." Now, I am not sure how faithful we have been or how well we have endured the trial, but I do know that we have been blessed a hundredfold through supportive family and friends. Jeff has not had to walk a single step of this road alone. And for that, we will be forever grateful. I am sure that a lot of healing will take place here over the next several months! We are glad to be home.

DAY "100"

(Yesterday) Well, we did it! We are officially home! I can not explain the sense of relief we (Jeff and I) felt as we pulled off the Boulevard Exit and headed down River Road. Then...as we turned the corner and drove down our street...again, there are not words to describe what we found. I will post pictures later today!

Day "99"

Today, Jeff had another bone marrow biopsy. He has had two others in St. George, but this is the first one I have been able to watch. It was amazing to watch them screw a needle through his hip bone and suck out bone marrow and a sliver of bone. The last two were done in the OR and cost over $10,000. This one was done right here in the BMT infusion room, and the PA nearly died when I told her how much the last two cost. Night and Day difference! Tomorrow is DAY 100! We will be home to St. George soon!

Day "96-98"

This shirt was given to Jeff by our primary and it explains the last three days for all four of us. Enough said!

Day "93"

Can you believe that in seven days Jeff will hit his "100th Day" mark? Really, when I look back, the whole transplant process has passed rather quickly! Especially the last month where Jeff has been out of the hospital. Jeff had all his post transplant tests yesterday. We will not receive the results until next week, but we are praying for good news. Yesterday, for some reason, each and every blood count had lowered from the previous week. Jeff had had the best week post transplant yet, so we were expecting his counts to have sky rocketed...not dropped. Anyway, the doctor was not concerned. He simply said that if he hangs out in that range next week, they won't take his central line out before going home. Yup...that is right! He is still planning on releasing Jeff next week! I have absolutely loved Park City! We have wonderful accommodations (thanks to the Miners), my kids and I love the snow, and we are fairly close to the hospital. But, I can not wait to return to my own home in "sunny" St. George where I can turn my kids loose in my back yard and do household chores without two children at my feet! I know that Jeff is extremely anxious as well. His routine and social life will not change much, but at least he will be in the comforts of his own home.

Day "90"

Happy Valentine's Day...one day late! Yesterday was a great day...at least it was for me! Jeff's brother Jayson and his wife Laurie came up to Park City on Friday night so Laurie and I could go skiing at Park City Mountain Resort on Saturday morning. Although it was FREEZING cold and snowy, we had a blast. It was the best snow I have ever skied in. Thanks Jayson for watching my kids and MY HUSBAND so I could enjoy a morning off--some Valentine I am! Later that evening, our little family had a fun Valentine themed dinner! Valentines has always been a big day for Jeff and I...we got engaged on Valentines Day 2004! So, we usually ride horses or drive the truck to the spot where he proposed, but dinner had to do this year!

I am actually seeing a little bit of improvement in Jeff lately. He is still nauseated but has not vomited in a week! He also rode the bike in the clubhouse a few times this week. As he feels a little bit better, he gets a little more stir crazy. So, we have been going on "scenic drives" a lot lately. He is starting to ask questions about the transplant, and it is amazing what he doesn't remember. That is probably a good thing. This Tuesday, Jeff has all of his post transplant testing. We will get the results the following week. If things look good, we will be released to go back to St. George. I can't believe we are already to this point! It is a miracle.

Day "84"

WoW! What a marathon day! It was all supposed to start at 5:30 a.m. when my alarm went off, but since that never happened (?!) it started at ten to seven! I jumped out of bed, woke up Jeff, showered, woke up the kids, grabbed something to feed the kids, and we were in the car by 7:19! Jeff had a lab and doctor appointment at 8 a.m. and it was snowing like crazy! Somehow, we were only 5 minutes late. From his appointment (which was about 1/2 hour longer than expected), we traveled (again through the snow) to Nephi for "post transplant" dental appointments with my dad. Somehow, we were only 20 minutes late! :) After finding a HUGE cavity in Jeff's mouth (most likely associated with chemo, methotrexate, cyclosporine, dry mouth, kool aid, twix bars, gummi bears, and bubble gum) we ate lunch with my dad, visited my mom at school, and headed back to Park City...again in patches of snow showers! While we were in Nephi, we picked up an amazing care package from the Little Valley 1st Ward Primary! After a crazy day like this, it was awesome to pull out crafts, coloring books, silly faces, and scrapbooking supplies from the primary! We definitely ended the day on a positive note! Thanks LV 1st Ward!
P.S. Jeff's Blood levels are the same or a little less than last week. Why? Well, we are asking the same question! The doctors aren't concerned, so we will try not to be as well.

Day "82"

Yup...that's right! Bed Head!! Jeff officially has enough hair to have bed head. I got a good laugh when he stumbled out the bedroom door this morning with his hair standing in every direction--almost as bad as Kaitlyn's. He was good to let me take the picture...let alone blog it! Bed head is a great sign of a good nights rest...something that Jeff hadn't experienced in several days. The first of the week was pretty rocky, but things are looking up. The med switch on Tuesday was ugly. So, Jeff is now back to his original medications, and so far so good. Sorry these posts are so few and far between...I just can't find as much time to blog between picking up toys seven million times a day (while singing the "clean up" song to encourage help from my darling children), pulling my kids up and down snow covered hills in a sled to give Jeff some quiet time, and being Jeff's caretaker (pills, food, pills, food, pills, food, pills...foot rub)!

Day "78"

Jeff has officially graduated to weekly appointments because his blood counts are becoming very stable! It has been several weeks since he has needed a blood transfusion. The vision of Jeff in a hospital bed struggling through a blood clot or a manual bladder irrigation is still so fresh on my mind that it is hard to completely convince myself that blood transfusions are a thing of the past. He continues to pass tiny clots here and there, but they are nothing like they used to be and to be expected! He is still experiencing nausea and vomiting, so the doctor switched up his medications a little bit yesterday. We are both (but Jeff especially) are looking forward to a day when we don't have to keep a "barf bucket" within reaching distance! :) Being a family of four again has been wonderful and very difficult all at the same time! While the kids bring a smile to Jeff's face when they come running for him first thing in the morning, they can also cause the opposite effect several times throughout the day. Me...well I can't give Jeff near the attention and care I used to, which makes me feel guilty, but real life had to come back at some point!

Day "76"

So yesterday, our little family had a much anticipated and very exciting reunion! Jeff and I woke up early and anxious for them to come. Our anxiety continued to build all through the day until they finally arrived around 4 p.m. They knew they were coming back to mom and dad because Grandpa Andrus "made up" some really good songs about our reunion on their drive up from St. George! I got to see them first, since I had to walk down stairs and let them in the locked door! It was awesome to see their faces light up when they saw me! After that, I took them up to find daddy! After busting through the door, they both ran into the condo looking for Jeff! It was too cute! They were SO excited! I know it sounds silly, but they have both changed so much since I had seen them three and a half weeks ago. Kaitlyn has gathered some big vocabulary words and facial expressions, and she has become quite "good" at coloring! She has also really figured out how to push Kolten's buttons! Kolten...well he has become quite the little climber and his communication skills have sky rocketed! He still doesn't use many words, but he sure knows how to point, grunt, agree and disagree!

Day "75"

Today is the 3/4 mark of our 100 day transplant stay! That means that in approximately 25 days, this attractive kid will be back in St. George! Sadly enough, he is almost that skinny again! I'll try to fatten him up in the next couple of weeks!

Day "73"

Today, Jeff did the most NORMAL thing he has done in 73+ days...he went to see a movie at a movie theater! While for most of you it would not be a big deal, it was HUGE for Jeff! He had literally laid in bed for most of the day, not feeling well at all. Then, around 5 p.m., he decided that he needed to get up and move his muscles. Joel happened to be in SLC for work, so we met him at a theater and watched Valkyrie. Jeff has wanted to see it since it first hit the theaters, but that was when he was stuck in the hospital with almost no blood cells in his body and no release date in sight! :) On the way home, Jeff reported that he felt better than he had felt all day long...it is amazing what a change of atmosphere can do!

Day "70"

Hooray! Today Jeff had a clinic visit, and all of his counts are on the rise! So many platelets and red blood cells were wasted for so long, and now his body has begun to collect them! It is an absolute miracle that his bladder still appears to be healing. Every once in a while (and mostly after vomiting) he has a tinge of blood in his urine, but it is night and day difference from before. This is the first time after being discharged from the hospital that both Jeff and I feel comfortable being at home. He is able to rest peacefully here...no vitals, no nurses in and out, no blood clots, etc!
The worst news of the day came after my sister took our little boy to the doctor this morning. Over the weekend, he developed a rash on most parts of his body. This was a real bummer because our kids were supposed to be coming back up here with us tomorrow! :( He has a viral infection with tiny ulcers in his throat. It will be interesting to see if Kaitlyn (and the rest of Shannon's kids) get infected. A viral infection is the last thing Jeff needs right now, so our reunion will be postponed until at least the weekend.

Day "67"

He's out...and hopefully this time for good! I would really enjoy spending the last 1/3 of our "winter holiday" at this condo in Park City! I have already told Jeff that if he is readmitted into the hospital again, I might have to solicit caretakers...I am not sure I can do that anymore, and I am sure Jeff feels the same way! I am just teasing. We will do what we have to do, but I do hope that he has been through the last of his BMT trials. As of now, I believe I will only post on the days that Jeff goes to clinic (two or three times a week) because things should mellow out and there won't be as much to report. Thanks for all your support , prayers, and warm wishes! We know that we have been blessed because of you.

Day "66"

Well...Jeff is still here in good old room 509 of the BMT Unit, but not because things got worse! He is in the same condition, but the urologist wanted to keep him for observation one more night for a trial run. She was in the OR during his cystoscopy, and she gave us a really good description of what his bladder looked like. She could not believe the drastic improvement. She said his bladder was so fragile that it could begin bleeding again at any time...thus the recommendation to stay another night. They took him off of all IV fluids and it is up to him to hydrate himself enough that urine doesn't sit in his bladder long enough to form clots if it were to bleed. If things look good in the morning, we really should be going back to the condo in Park City.

Day "65"

Bright and early this morning, the urology team came in, turned on the lights, and pronounced that Jeff's urine bag was completely clear! They insisted that it wasn't even blood tinged. I questioned, and they again said that it wasn't. Then, they SHOCKED Jeff by telling him they wanted the catheter to come out. Jeff has kind of become attached to the thing! :) They felt like it would only irritate his "angry, inflamed" mucosa in his bladder...so out it came! I wouldn't say he isn't bleeding at all, but I can say he hasn't formed any clots today! If things stay the same, they plan to discharge him tomorrow afternoon. Big change from yesterday morning...ya?

Day "64"

Believe it or not, I am looking at a yellow urine bag tonight--again I'll save you from the picture! Jeff just had a cystoscopy, and the doctors were able to cauterize four big bleeders. However, before they could do that, they spent ten minutes evacuating blood clots from his bladder. They said that there were other parts of the bladder which were "angry", inflamed, and on the verge, but for the time being, they were not bleeding. They found that Jeff did not have a reflex from the bladder back up into the kidneys, so that opened up more treatment options if his bladder does begin to bleed again! The main urologist warned us (Jay, Jackie, and I) that hemorrhagic cystitis was very stubborn and it could begin to bleed again at anytime. It is my hope that I can report again tomorrow that it is still yellow! Good night!

Day "63"

Sorry about the delayed post! Last night just got away from me! Jeff bled about the same amount and so it was confirmed that he would be scoped on day 64 (today)! I will post the results later tonight. Late last night, Jeff's cousins (Brandt, Clinton, and Ben) came over and gave Jeff a wonderful Priesthood Blessing. It was fun to listen to them reminisce about the "Deer Hunts of Old!"
Also, yesterday, some Andrus Family friends, Preston and Shaun Steel, stopped by! Shaun worked with all of Jeff's sisters at the Pizza Factory, and Preston was Jeff's roommate at BYU! They are great guys...made Jeff smile while they were here. The best was when they began recounting the story of Jeff and Preston attempting to "finish" Shaun's basement in college. Let's just say I had to assure Shaun that Jeff had gained some serious construction skills since then! :) Shaun and Preston run a business here in SLC called Valcom (www.slcval.com). It is a leading IT provider for the Rocky Mountain Region. Shaun decided after seeing how many hits Jeff's blog gets each day that it might be a good "free" way of advertising! So...they gave Jeff a really nice Nike jacket with their company logo on it--hoping I might post a picture. This picture is for you, Shaun! :) I guess my only question is...If anyone is referred to you as a result of this blog, do I get some sort of commission? I am just teasing...thanks for the visit and the jackets. :)

Day "62"

Well, Jeff made it ten days without a blood transfusion, and that was a great mile stone in his BMT road. However, today he had to have two units of blood. His hemoglobin has been slowly dropping for the last week, but yesterday he bled a little more than usual. On a positive note, his platelets bumped up another point. Jeff asks for his CBC results first thing EVERY morning. He likes to know what has dropped, what has increased, and if he has to have a transfusion or not at the crack of dawn so he can plan for the day! We have not seen any improvement since starting estrogen yesterday, but we are trying to wait patiently! :) If he is still bleeding tomorrow night, the urologist plans to scope him on Tuesday morning.

Day "61"

Well, they started that new medication I was talking about today. That medication is estrogen. Yes, I said estrogen. My husband is taking estrogen. But don't worry, Joel has already sent him an email of the Seinfeld episode about the "Manssiere" (bra for men) and the doctor offered him a subscription to Ladies Home Journal! So he has already endured a fair amount of teasing! :)
Seriously, I guess they give estrogen intravenously to women who are hemorrhaging after child birth. So, they are using the estrogen to constrict the blood vessels in Jeff's bladder and stop the bleeding. I spent the entire morning researching this therapy on the Internet, and the studies seem to show that it works 80% to 90% of the time, and their are NO feminine side effects in men. The biggest concern is blood clots, but that is when estrogen is taken for a long period of time and worse for smokers! Jeff will be on the estrogen for less than 3 weeks, and he has never smoked a day in his life! Plus, he has very little platelets, so clotting really shouldn't be an issue. Speaking of platelets...Jeff is officially producing his own! Today, for the first time since transplant, his platelets increased on their own...no transfusion involved!

Day "60"

Our nurse today insisted that Jeff's bladder irrigation was running to quickly, and she was probably right! However, now that they have turned it down, he has struggled with clots more. They are thinking about adding an additional medication tomorrow...we will see.

Day "59"

I have had quite a few emails, phone calls, and cards lately asking about Jeff, and wondering how I am "really" doing! In fact, last week the BMT social worker basically told me I looked terrible and asked me what I was doing to take care of myself. The next day, after "exercising," I went up to the condo in Park City and brought ALL of my scrapbooking stuff back to the hospital! Yes, it takes up one side of the room, but it sure keeps my hands busy and I have a better attitude because of it. Plus, I took the afternoon off today! I left around 3 p.m. stopped at my Grandma's house, went to dinner with my parents, got my hair cut, stopped at my brothers house, picked up my car which my dad just got back from the mechanic (it had a leak in the gas intake valve that was putting off fumes in my car), and went to a scrapbooking store in Nephi. It was while I was in the scrapbook store that I found my new motto on the wall: Scrapbooking is Cheaper than Therapy! So that is just what I will continue to do to keep myself out of the loony bin! Really though, I am holding up quite well! I try to leave Jeff's hospital room each day to take a breather. Sometimes it is for 3 or 4 hours, and sometimes it is 20 minutes, but I leave each day. I miss my children more than anything right now, but I appreciate the fact that I am not trying to juggle being a mother and a caretaker at the same time. Plus, Jeff truly makes me feel appreciated EVERY day (it is a dang good thing he got married before this all came to pass)! So "really," I am doing okay! :) As for Jeff, he felt like he had less clots today, and he still hasn't had a blood or platelet transfusion lately. That is DEFINITELY progress!

Day "58"

As Jeff and I have contemplated the day, we have decided that the only thing worthy of blogging is a visit from Uncle Jim and Aunt Mary (who had come up for the Draper Temple dedication) and Jeff's brother Joel (who is working at his South Jordan office). The rest is so monotonous that it hurts--catheter flushing, changing bed sheets, medications, sleeping, ESPN, watching blood levels, eating, watching urine bag fill up, changing irrigation bags, and spending "quality time together!"

Day "57"

Sorry about not posting last night! Jeff and I were so entertained by the first night of American Idol Season 8, that I went to bed laughing and totally forgot to post! It was a great way to waste two hours! :) As for Jeff's condition, he actually passed more nasty clots that usual yesterday. We haven't got his blood results from his morning draw, but I would guess that his hemoglobin dropped. I am posting some pictures of his morning meds (because they just brought them in), and keep in mind that he will be getting a "bucket" of pills three more times today...some not as full as others! Let's just say he is growing a little tired of taking them--the nurses have to nag him until he gets them all down!

Day "56"

I just got off the phone with Jeff's mother, and I have realized that now, more than ever, Jeff and his father have a lot in common--a deep love for morphine and phenergan as well as a hospital room. This morning, Jay had a partial knee replacement (hence the morphine and phenergan), and the doctors are requiring him to spend the night at DRMC to make sure everything is going as planned. Jackie said the drugs have put him out like a light! Hum...that sounds so much like someone else I know! We wish him a good and speedy recovery.

As far as Jeff's hemorrhagic cystitis is concerned, he is still bleeding. The doctors have decided to continue the prostiglandin treatment for now...the fact that his hemoglobin held again today gives them hope that something is working. It has been four days since he has had a red blood cell or platelet transfusion--that is a miracle in and of itself. We will see what tomorrow brings.

I went to my sister's house to shower and eat dinner with her family tonight! They sent me back to the hospital with some yummy chicken noodle soup for Jeff as well as this picture below! When I gave it to Jeff, he said, "Oh...did Ashlyn draw that?" That is when I had to admit to him that it was indeed MY SISTER that drew the picture--Ashlyn just added the dots on her face. It's drawings like this are are priceless and will definitely help Jeff get better soon...Thanks SUZANNE for helping the cause! :)

Day "55"

Jeff's hemoglobin level and hematocrit did not drop very much today, so the doctors believe he is bleeding less! I guess when they say it is looking better to them, they are not just looking at the urine bag! :) They are looking at Jeff's total chemistry...and they are using their "trained eyes"--at least that is what one of the Urologists told me today!

Day "54"

Yesterday, for about thirty minutes, Jeff's urine was a nice yellow color...I have never been so excited looking at a urine bag in my entire life! However, it quickly turned to the old familiar red color. Today, when the urologists stopped by for their daily visit, they were excited and said it was looking better! I, on the other hand, had to bite my lip before I said a smart remark about the fact that it looked worse to me! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have been staring at the dang bag for five days now and praying for yellow--anything less is simply "worse" in my eyes! If his bladder is still bleeding on Monday, they are going to switch the medications he is receiving during bladder irrigation. Meanwhile, I will work on my bad attitude toward his hurdle in Jeff's VERY SUCCESSFUL BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT! I need to focus more on that!

Day "53"

As some of you may know...Jeff has some issues with the U of U hospital food from the cafeteria. I am sure it stems from the constant nausea and vomiting. :( For the last several weeks of his initial hospital stay, he would only eat from the BMT galley or TV dinners. Then on the next hospital stay, he only ate from the galley...NO TV DINNERS. Now, Jeff is no longer considered nutripenic (his blood counts are above a certain level), so he can eat outside food. It is good for him, but bad on the pocket book! Funny thing is that he will eat from the cafeterias at Huntsman and Primary Children's (both a good walk from here), but he will not even look at the menus from downstairs-- which is included in the "price" of this room! I tease him that he is pretty high maintenance, but he always comes back to the same statement..."If I am going to sit in this bed all day, I am at least going to eat good!" And "eat good" is exactly what he is doing!

Day "52"

So what does a man do when he has to sit in a bed hooked up to a catheter? Watch football, surf the Internet, watch the BCS Bowl game, complete word finds, watch football, think of all the places he loves to eat, watch football, write down a list of all the things that could have or have gone wrong in this transplant, and watch more football! Then, when his bladder is clamped off for two hours during treatment, he moves to different positions over and over again so the medication touches every part of his bladder...while being completely uncomfortable. Fun stuff...huh? We switched rooms last night, so he has a nice little flat screen tv with decent sound instead of the regular "tin can" hospital kind with speakers right at your head--you all know what I am talking about! :) So that makes the football games more enjoyable.

Day "51"

As of this moment, Jeff is receiving his fourth unit of blood today. His hemoglobin level dropped drastically yesterday, and they are still playing catch up. When we asked the doctor how long she thought we would be here, she mentioned that the study they are basing this new treatment on usually runs about seven days...we were just expecting a few. SO...our kids went home to St. George with Grandma and Grandpa Andrus so I could be here to cheer Jeff on as his bladder is clamped off for two hours at a time! :)

Day "50"...the HALF WAY MARK!

Today we are 50 days post transplant, which means we are half way through our Northern Utah "Winter Holiday!" We decided to celebrate this occasion by heading back the the BMT Unit for another (hopefully short) hospital stay! :( Last night, Jeff passed a huge amount of blood, and almost passed out a couple of times. So, as we discussed the bleeding issues with some of the doctors today at clinic, and showed them a picture I took of one of the clots (which I will refrain from posting) they decided to readmit him to the unit and try a different treatment. It will consist of pumping a certain medication (can't remember the name) into his bladder through a catheter, clamping it off for two hours, and then irrigating the bladder for four hours. This will be repeated over and over again until his urine is fairly clear for 48 hours! It was a BMT Doctors' idea. The urologist had never done it before, but he was willing to try. In one study, it completely healed the bladder of 50% of the patients. Wish Jeff luck!

Day "49"

Today Jeff had enough energy to play games and color with Kaitlyn on the floor...it didn't last to long, but it was priceless! I thought he would sleep all day since we had some bad IV pump issues last night. The alarm went off literally every 15 minutes to half hour! After trying every one of the troubleshooting ideas in the booklet, changing all the tubing, calling the on-call home infusion guy, and then changing the IV bag, I finally shut the stupid thing off at 4:30 a.m. and made Jeff drink water every hour until morning! :(

Day "48"

We are at clinic today, and Jeff is currently receiving two bags of platelets ...yes, his levels are still dropping a little. So, instead of sitting here watching TV, I decided to make this little video Jeff has been asking me to make for a couple weeks now. His parents have spent countless hours with him during this transplant experience. He and I have appreciated their dedication...and I REALLY appreciated the time I was able to slip away from the hospital and SHOWER! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Day "47"

Today was a bitter yet sweet day. Two nights ago, Jeff's father traveled up to Park City to tell him that his Uncle Blaine had passed away and his funeral was today. Uncle Blaine was only 55 years old, and no one had expected it. Jeff was overwhelmed with memories from his childhood of Uncle Blaine...most of them dealing with the deer hunt. He was determined to at least attend the viewing today. After a long night, it was hard to get Jeff up and going...so it was very apparent that we would not make the viewing. So, he decided to attend the funeral. As we drove up to the chapel, all of Jeff's brothers were waiting to help him. When we walked through the doors, we found that Aunt Lynette had been waiting for Jeff before they had the family prayer and closed the casket. It meant so much to Jeff AND his father. We stayed for the funeral ...sat at the back, mask on face, and hands in his pockets... and we were able to sneak out during the closing song. The funeral was a great tribute to Blaine's life, he was an amazing man. It was good for Jeff to get dressed up and go somewhere. It doesn't happen very often.

Day "46"

We are still sitting "tight," and Jeff is still passing obnoxiously huge blood clots. We came to the clinic today for blood work and a doctor visit. Jeff's white blood count and ANC plummeted down in the ones today. They believe it is just the immuno-suppressive drugs doing their job, but it sure puts him more at risk for infection. While we were at clinic, we insisted a urologist consult about the bladder. The BMT doctor we were visiting consulted with the urologist on call and several other people, and they again came to the same conclusion...relax and drink a lot of water! It makes me wonder if they have ever relaxed and drank a lot of water while urinating out golf ball sized clots of blood through their urethra!?! Sorry...I will end this post for now!

Day "45"

Happy New Year! Surprisingly enough, Jeff was awake for the final countdown of 2008! We hope 2009 brings health and happiness to all of you! It may not be a surprise, but Jeff is passing clots again. I'm sure that we ruined the New Year's Eve party the urology Dr. on call was at when we paged him and asked him a good 20 questions! Basically, we were told to have Jeff sit tight, drink a lot of water, and relax. He basically said that unless he absolutely can not urinate, there was no need to come back in and be irrigated. So we will try to do just that.