The transplant took place

Yesterday the transplant took place from 11:45 till 1:45 am.  Dr. Claxton gave John two bags of stem cells.  The first bag took one hour.  Then he had a fifteen minute break, and the second bag took 45 minutes.

The reason why he had a 15 minute break in between is because he had a reaction when the first bag of stem cells were going in.  It is something called "flushing".  It is when you turn very cold and you start to shiver.  It was very hard to watch him shake so violently.  I mean he shook so violently, like he was having a seizure it looked like.  The doctor and nurse looked concerned at points.  He shook more violently and then the nurse gave him a bag of demarol to make him stop shaking.  Awhile after the first bag of cells went in, the shaking stopped.  Poor John, he said that he had strained his muscles.  He had strained the muscles in his back, shoulders, legs and arms.

The second bag went in very uneventful. 

When done John suddenly felt EXTREMELY wiped out.  He said he felt like he had no blood left in him.  Like they had drained all the blood out of him.  This of course is par for the course; he should be extremely tired for six to nine months at least.  After a little while he said he felt some better though.

I am making this sound somewhat dreary.  They said he is doing excellently.  They may even release John from the hospital this weekend and just have him go to day hospital everyday.  He will just go to day hospital every morning (probably 9 am till sometime around 1 pm) and then be released to come back to Hope Lodge.  They will be checking out everything on him when he goes to the hospital, doing all kinds of tests.  And then he will come back to Hope Lodge everyday.  Then he will get back in bed.  He will be doing this for months.  Just day hospital and bed.  But the staff said he has to come to the dining room to eat because the bedrooms are sterile.  They said if he can't make it to the dining room, then he belongs back in the hospital.  So it will be hospital, bed, and dining room for months, that isit.  And whenever he leaves Hope Lodge or the hospital he has to put on a mask.  He doesn't have to wear the mask in the hospital or Hope Lodge though.  But we are debating whether or not he should wear a mask at Hope Lodge.  Because there are a lot of people who cough a lot here.

Let's see.  What else.  The nurse told John he was blood type A positive, but after the transplant would be O positive.  You take on the donor's blood type!  How about that!  

Well, that is about it.  How am I doing?  I think I held up exceptionally during the transplant.  I was really there for him.  I stayed there all day to be with him, and some of the night.  Then he told me to come back to Hope Lodge and get some sleep.  

I feel pretty good.  On the other hand, I feel like crying, but tears won't come.  It is hard to see someone so healthy be made sick.  I know he needed to have this done to stay alive, but it is hard to see someone who looked so healthy be made sick, so he can become well again.  I am doing well, but am kind of numb, and my Sissy Val said tears will probably come in a few days.  She said it will be normal, because I watched somebody I love, my husband, hurting.  

I am grateful he had the transplant though, praise God he has this chance at life. 

Things are going to be just fine, there will just be a long road of recovery ahead from John.  But he is tough and a fighter and a trooper.  With a great positive attitude.

Thank you all for your prayers, and your words of comfort, and your cards.  They mean everything to me.

Love, Krissy :)