Day +33 and engraftment

Day +33 and engraftment

It is so great not to have much to post! The weekend was uneventful. I mean when you can’t be around people and you can’t go anywhere you are pretty limited in what you can do! If you can’t do it in the hotel room you are out of luck and Kimbell has very little stamina but we are working on that.   The great news is that Kimbell’s platelets (what makes you clot) are almost to pre chemo levels!  Even better news is that her hemoglobin (the measure of red cells that carry oxygen in your blood) is higher now then we have seen in over three years!  Her kidney function test were better today as well. Unfortunately her liver function test are high so we will have to keep an eye on them. One of the concerns with the BMT is liver toxicity which could lead to liver failure and we really don’t want to deal with another transplant.   Kimbell’s white count was quite low today which is part of the up and down of post BMT life.   Tonight we received her +60 and + 100 day eval appointment schedule.  I know we aren’t there yet and I know anything could happen but just getting the email was so exciting. Kimbell has gone through so much over the years and has always had such a big heart and great attitude. We want her to be happy and healthy more then anything.   We are so grateful to have made it this far without major complications, which the doctors expected, that to think the 60 and 100 days are within reach is just humbling and exciting!!

I wanted to clarify something about engraftment. I am afraid I may have misled you on Kimbell’s engraftment. Bone marrow is extremely complicated, even after dealing with this for almost 10 years I am still constantly learning. Right now they have only checked two parameters for engraftment. CD15 & CD3 – these are only two of many parts of one type of white blood cell, the lymphocytes.   These are the first markers checked to see if it appears that the donor’s marrow is engrafting.  Unfortunately there is a long way to go before we can say the graft is successful. It could be as long as a year or longer.   This was a huge first step though and is sooooooo encouraging. Kimbell’s doctor is one of the leading experts worldwide in BMT and stem cell research. He has been studying her disease process for years and this was the first time in years that he told us he was hopeful.  So we are going to run with that and trust that God is with her every step in this journey, believe in the power of prayer, and trust that God will bring her home with us to live a happy and healthy life.

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John & Paige