July - August - September 2010

Time sure flies....Where do I begin....

July came and went without too many issues. Sharon continued working full time.

Sharon retired in August. She says it has been great. She no longer has to commit to going into work when she is not feeling well. As most of us know, come hell or high water, Sharon was always at work even on her worst days. Now, she is able to focus totally on her recovery.

September 4, Sharon celebrated her 1st transplant birthday. While you would think there would have been a party going on, there wasn't. It was Labor Day weekend and she'd sent Bob to the races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. She enjoyed a peaceful day doing what she wanted to do.

In Sharon's routine blood work with Dr. Bender, in Georgia, he noticed her liver enzymes were elevated. She went through a couple of tests here before they left for Minnesota. Once in Rochester, Dr. Hogan's team evaluated her further. They performed a liver biopsy to determine the cause of the elevation in her counts.

Graft vs. Host Disease has reared it's ugly head again which is not uncommon. It is the result of her donor stem cells still attacking certain parts of the host. First, it appeared as a skin rash again. She had this same rash after the transplant last year. While the rash is more of a nuisance than anything, the GVHD is attacking her liver this time. The doctor's have placed her on heavy doses of prednisone to eliminate the GVHD. As a result of taking the prednisone, this has caused her blood sugar to spike. Now, she is testing her sugar a couple of times a day and giving herself an insulin injection each day. She said her counts are really good in the morning and get higher in the evening. The doctors are optimistic that this is a temporary side effect of the medicine. Once she had been weaned off the prednisone, they believe her levels will return to normal.

The Mayo confirmed the presence of 100% donor cells. Great news!

Bob said the doctors in Georgia and Minnesota are on the same page which makes them feel confident moving forward.

Sharon and Bob are currently in Ohio visiting family. They were attending Bob's mini class reunion tonight and Sharon's class reunion is on Saturday. The plan is to head back to Georgia around the 17th. They will be here a couple of weeks before returning to Minnesota for another check up. While it is a long drive, they don't mind. After all, they are receiving the BEST treatment from the BEST doctors.

As always, thank you for your continued support and prayers. They are much appreciated.

JUNE 2010

Much progress has occurred in June. No more cold and allergy issues. Blood counts continue to improve along with Sharon’s endurance. Upon returning from Mayo appointments June 15 & 16 Sharon decided to increase her work hours from 4 to 8 to keep her mind in motion. Physical exertion still tires her quickly. Her Georgia Cardiologist explained this is common and exercise will gradually improve her stamina. Her next visit to Mayo will be her one year mark and the plan will be to perform a bone marrow biopsy to determine if the cancer has been eradicated. We extended our stay in Rochester to visit a few friends that remain at the Gift of Life Transplant House, toured St. Ansgar Iowa and a Wind Turbine in the middle of a beautiful Iowa corn/ethanol field. Bob (still unemployed) is investigating the possibilities of wind energy for Georgia. Too bad there is no money in farming. Corn doesn’t like red clay and pine tree forests. Sharon wants Bob to take cooking and home economic classes.

May 2010

Sharon's counts continue to make slight improvements.

May has been a trying month in other areas. Sharon started May by getting a cold followed by what is believed to be an allergy which she is still fighting. She has visited her family doctor twice for advice. Chest X-ray was normal. Astelin seems to have helped reduce coughing. The allergy theory may prove out since her sister's immune system is accustom to Ohio but Sharon lives in Georgia (Pollen central).

Nausea, fatigue, cough, and loss of appetite are current conditions. Mayo has been advised and we hope for more answers when we return in June.

Mother's Day came and went with the decision to wait to celebrate on Father's Day if her appetite returns.

APRIL 2010

Sharon started back to working half days April 5th. She told them she would know when the time was right and appreciates her employers support. She comes home quite tired but has the luxury of resting since her caregiver has retired.

We found a better location for her monthly Pentamidine treatment in Piedmont Hospital Atlanta. She continues to have her blood work done every 2 weeks at Piedmont Hospital Fayetteville, Ga. and fax’s results to Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mn. Her counts (CBC’s) continue to rise but still not perfect.

Sharon continues to gain weight and grow hair. Getting her hair trimmed and taking a scooter ride were milestones for April. Oh yeah and she has another Grand Dog “Buckeye” a Fiest/Jack Russell mix. We hope to harness some of the energy.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers.

God is good.

1st QUARTER 2010 UPDATE

We would like to bring everyone up-to-date on Sharon’s progress since we returned home from the Mayo Clinic in December. As most of you know we lived at the Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester, Mn. from August 9, 2009 thru December 18, 2009. We have since returned to the Mayo for Sharon’s one month follow up on January 14, 2010 and a recent 3 month follow up March 16, 2010. Last week Dr. Hogan expressed his pleasure with Sharon’s progress and has requested her next follow up be in June.
The progress over the last 3 months (counted in baby steps) has been positive. A few bouts with nausea and loss of appetite occurred but controlled. We attribute to adjustments in medications. As of this date her energy level has reached a point Sharon has planned to go back to work part time beginning April 5. Other noteworthy improvements are listed below:
---------------Dec. 2009 day+105 -----Mar. 2010 day +201 -----Target
Weight -------106 ---------------------122 -----------------------NOYB, fit her old wardrobe
Hemoglobin ---9.1 --------------------- 11.1 ----------------------13
White count ---3.4 ---------------------6.2 ------------------------5
Platelets ------29 ----------------------43 ------------------------60 to 150
Neutrophils ----2.54 -------------------4.2 -----------------------1.7 to 7
Hair length -----0 ----------------------1.5” ----------------------plans to keep it short/simple

The plan moving forward is to continue to have her blood work-up every 2 weeks at Piedmont Hospital in Fayetteville, Ga. and forward results to Dr. Hogan @ Mayo.
Many prayers have been answered throughout this “journey” and we can’t express enough our gratitude to family, friends old & new, and the utmost professional environment exhibited by everyone at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. This facility as well as the Gift of Life are “best-in-class” by far!
God is good.

Personal Message from Sharon

It is good to be home! Keith had decorated the house and Brian made us Christmas dinner. Christmas was wonderful.

It is still one day at a time but I am feeling much better. There will be follow-up trips back to the Mayo. One is scheduled in January.

I want to apologize for not being able to write thank you notes for all the care packages that were sent. They were so much appreciated!!

Thank you to all my friends and family that sent cards, packages, emails, telephone calls and prayers. They made each day special and I was over-whelmed by the love and concern.

The greatest gift of all was my sister Pat’s stem cells. All three of my sisters did not hesitate to donate. There are no words that can ever express my thanks and gratitude. My Mom and Dad raised a very loving and caring family.

Thru this whole journey it has been such a surprise to me at the love and concern shown by so many friends and family. That is what got me thru each day and onto the next.

Thank you for following my journey. A special thank you to Tonya Price for the blog. It was priceless. My journey is not at an end but I do feel hope.

Love to all, Sharon