Georgia Bound

Sharon received wonderful news today! Dr. Hogan has released her. She and Bob are headed back to Georgia by way of Ohio. They are packed and ready to head south. They are ready for some warmer weather.

They are leaving Rochester on Friday. They are going to spend a couple of days with family in Ohio. They should arrive in Georgia Tuesday night just in time for Christmas with the boys. What a great gift for all of them.

Once she is home, she will be monitored by Dr. Ballard. She will, more than likely, have to make an occasional trip to back Rochester for check-ups/tests.

Dr. Hogan was very encouraged by her progress. He also told Sharon that initially he had not been optimistic about her outcome. She proved them all wrong. She is one tough cookie.

She had the Hickman catheter removed today. She was not placed under anesthesia during this procedure. She said they numbed the area before the removal process. She said she could feel them working a couple of times but it was not bad. They had to make an incision which has been sutured with one stitch. Bob will need to remove this in three or four days.

They have started saying their goodbyes to all of the wonderful people at the Mayo and GOL House.

Good-bye Rochester?

It looks like Sharon and Bob may be back in Georgia before Christmas!! We have our fingers crossed that all of her tests indicate she is well enough to be in the care of her doctors here.

While she hasn't seen Dr. Hogan yet, she's been told that he is encouraged by the results of her 100 day evaluation. She has a couple of more tests scheduled for this week. She is also scheduled to have her Hickman catheter removed on Wednesday. This is a good sign!

They did find some GVHD when they performed the endoscopy. In order to treat the GVHD, she is on a new medication.

She has been able to discontinue some of her other medications.

She has not had any nausea and her appetite has returned.

While she tires easily, she said she does feel like going out some now and doing a few things. She and Bob were meeting some friends from the GOL House for lunch today. The other day, she even assisted one of the other caregivers in making some oyster stew.

A group of Mennonites came by to give Sharon and Bob a box of cookies. Sharon has really enjoyed these. She even broke house rules by keeping them in her room.

This group has periodically been to the house and sang to the patients and caregivers. Sharon said they even visited and sang to her while she was in the hospital.

Bob has begun packing in anticipation of being released. Sharon said he thinks they will be out of there by Friday. Again, we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Approaching 100 Days

After suffering with nausea for a while now, the doctors performed an endoscopic procedure on Sharon last Friday. They wanted to get a good look at her stomach to see what was going on. They do not have any definitive results as of Wednesday but it does not appear to be anything serious. The good news is that Sharon has not felt nauseous for a few days now.

Sharon's 100th day since the transplant will be on Sunday, December 13. On Wednesday, she began her 100 day evaluation tests. She had a bone marrow biopsy and pulmonary function test. Yesterday, she had a chest x-ray and a pentamidine treatment. Today, she is having some blood tests, a bone mineral density test and has a meeting with the BMT Pharmacy.

She sounds great and feels a little better each day. She is eating better. Hopefully, these tests will show that she is improving enough to be able to come home.

Dr. Hogan is attending a Hematologist convention in New Orleans. They are awaiting his return to receive the results from these tests.

There was a blizzard in Rochester Tuesday night. Bob said they received 10 1/2 inches of snow. The temperature is in the single digits with a below zero wind chill factor.