DAY 77 - THURSDAY

April 9, 2009: Hi Everyone, last Thursday Jill had blood work done and a chest X Ray. All of her blood work has been normal up till now. Ever since the passing out incident and the frequent dizzy spells, the doctors are still trying to find the cause. Hence, several tests for abnormalities were ordered since these symptoms are not common in transplant patients.
Jill may have uncovered the cause herself. She had to get a refill for her meds and she started reading the side effects. On two of the meds, it cautioned about dizziness and fainting. It also stated sudden death in the precautions part of the print out. Since her grandmother died of sudden death at age 35 and her aunt and cousin both have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (sudden death), Dr Burt said she should stop 2 of the medications immediately. She also had a rash on her legs and arms, an allergic reaction to the medication. She didn't report the rash because she thought it was from the intense chemotherapy. The side effects also caution about extreme fatigue, which has been a constant battle for her.
Jill is off the medications and it should start to help eliminate some of the side effects. Her spirits are great and she is anxiously waiting for the transplant to show all it's magic.
On a positive note, I just want to reiterate some of the improvements Jill’s has already experienced since her stem cell transplant on January 22, 2009:
Before the Stem Cell Transplant, Jill was on the verge of going from Relapsing Remitting MS to Secondary Progressive MS. Now that prognosis has changed!
There was an immediate improvement in her thinking. She said she felt as if a “cloud was lifted” and she started remembering things.
Her tremors have greatly lessened; I hardly see them anymore.
Jill looks forward to her future now, whereas before she was so scared of what tomorrow might bring (everyday, I watched her getting worse).
She was so depressed; she had to take 2 Xanax a day to stop her crying. Now she only cries when she is happy!
We hope and pray that all will go well from here. In ten days, she'll be back in Chicago and we will post the outcome of her visit as soon as we know.
Thanks for all the good wishes and prayers.
Love,
Doreen