Christi is feeling a little better than 'okay' today, and as we patiently await her stem cell engraftment, she continues to recover from her last round of chemotherapy. At this point, she has no cancer or leukemia blasts showing in her blood, but the determining factors for actual remission are the results shown from a bone marrow biopsy - although cancer or leukemia blasts do not show in her blood, they may exist in her bone marrow, and have not yet been passed into her blood stream. We assume she will be having a bone marrow biopsy in the next week or two, although a definite date has not been set.At present, her blood cell levels are very low as the chemo continues to do its job of taking her down to rock bottom. She is very tired, and takes naps quite occasionally, but over time, as her new immune system begins to take effect, she will slowly build herself back up. She was told, prior to the chemotherapy, that she would probably experience irritation and ulcers internally, starting with her stomach, up through her esophagus, and into her mouth, and as of this writing, it is taking its toll on her. She is in a lot of discomfort, and cannot eat any solid food, which she hasn't in about 3 days, although she is drinking broth as much as possible. Sometime today, the medical team will be adding a central line to her PICC line arrangement, to be able to give her all of her medications intraveneously, because she cannot swallow any pills.
As grim as all of this may sound, her spirits are amazing, and I continue to remind her that a lot of people are praying for her, which keeps her uplifted. Keep up your strong determination, big girl ! We love you . . . This too, will pass !In Him,
Rick Bleile
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