Two four letter words a transplant patient does not want to hear
GVHD and iron. The first is an abbreviation for graft versus host disease, this is when the stem cell from a donor resist the host and an infection takes place. It can happen anywhere, anytime, for any reason. With transfusions come added iron. My body is making it's own blood, but my liver is suffering. The doctor is not sure which of the two maybe causing it. I am starting a regimen of steroids and holding off on some of the previous medications. I am scheduled for another visit next week. A liver biopsy is also being scheduled.
Next week will make it six months to the day since I received the stem cells of my sister. The first five months and three weeks went according to plan. Somewhere along the way something went wrong and it was detected today. My sleep only comes with sedatives, the pains of my body can only be eased by a plethora of medications. But I still felt I was well, I was out of the woods. I was no longer a cancer patient. I believed myself a survivor. Today I was sucker punched in the gut. Literally, now to see what is going wrong. I am fortunate enough to still be under the care of my doctor at MD Anderson. I am still again a patient.
I stopped writing and worse, reading about this disease because I thought I beat it. The fight is not over we are only entering into the next round.
Next week will make it six months to the day since I received the stem cells of my sister. The first five months and three weeks went according to plan. Somewhere along the way something went wrong and it was detected today. My sleep only comes with sedatives, the pains of my body can only be eased by a plethora of medications. But I still felt I was well, I was out of the woods. I was no longer a cancer patient. I believed myself a survivor. Today I was sucker punched in the gut. Literally, now to see what is going wrong. I am fortunate enough to still be under the care of my doctor at MD Anderson. I am still again a patient.
I stopped writing and worse, reading about this disease because I thought I beat it. The fight is not over we are only entering into the next round.
Stay strong. Hey better living through chemicals, thats what it is all about.
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Roger, I'm SO SORRY to hear about this latest set back. I also thought that "no news was good news". Without your continual updates, I thought (hoped) that things were going well for you. I'll go back to praying for you. Your mom and sister are in my thoughts and prayers as well.
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