Waitin' for a Good Day

Dear Fods,

Doctor Porter and Heather visited Debbie this morning. They are concerned enough about the delayed counts that they are now working on a Plan B. They have contacted the original donor to make arrangements for an additional donation in the event that the first infusion turns out to be a failure. They believe that we should be seeing Debbie's counts come up by now, but they also acknowledge that Debbie's system has always lagged behind, and it could just be a matter of a few more days. But they do not want to take any chances.

To get further insight into the engraftment process, they decided to do the dreaded bone marrow biopsy this afternoon. Evidence of engraftment would present itself in the bone marrow some time before it evidences itself in the blood. If they see evidence of engraftment in the marrow, they will stay the course. If not, they will go to Plan B. This seems like a prudent course of action.

Needless to say, Debbie was not happy about the biopsy and I was able to rearrange my schedule to be there for the procedure. Her biggest fear was that the new "Fellow" named Rebecca would not have the strength to deliver a pain free procedure. Deb put her medication demands in well in advance of the procedure and was getting pretty relaxed by the end of the biopsy. We are very glad to report that Debbie gave Rebecca the Silver Medal, behind only Dr. Porter, of Gold Medal fame, for the most pain free biopsy. Now let's hope for good results!

The meds had fully kicked in by the time I left and Debbie was resting comfortably under her quilt and in her own sheets. She endured another painful day and is the epitome of a "trooper." Let's hope for a good biopsy so that we can forget Plan B and that things turn around soon.

Deb sends her love to all.