Today is our last day of Chemo--hopefully forever! I felt we needed a post to commemorate the day, even though there isn't a whole lot to report. Drew is still doing fairly well. He's gotten sick a few times now, but is still acting pretty normal, maybe a little more tired. As he declines, just like last round, we'll add and adjust his meds to keep him as comfortable as we can. I'm getting questions about the transplant and its purpose which hopefully I can answer. Remember we are doing these transplants not with the intention of replacing the bone marrow specifically, but in order to use the high dose, strong chemotherapy to kill any last cancer cells that may still remain. The bone marrow becomes like a casualty of this war, when we "nuke" him with the high doses of chemo. Therefore we give him his stem cells back to bring that marrow back to life. Otherwise it might take him a really long time, if ever, to recover. Sounds pretty intense, and it is I guess...so keep those prayers coming for a smooth process!
As I watch this last bag of chemo get hung, I think about the night that first bag went up. We were so unsure, nervous, and desperate. We didn't know what to expect, but we knew he couldn't go on the way he was. Praise God for these bags! Drew has come back to us more and more with each one. Yes, the short term challenges are real with chemo, but the long term gains have been so worth it. With that said, I will not miss it. The "HasMat" suits the nurses wear to string it up, the gloves to change his diapers and when you handle his bodily fluids when it's in his system, to all the weird precautions (like baths every 4 hours) due to the toxicity of it, and obviously the way it made him feel for weeks following, will all be not-so-fond memories. Thanks for your work, hope to never see you again Chemo!!!
~Heidi
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