Day Plus 6-Get Plugged In and Bald

Today Becky brought my TV so I was able to hookup my PS3 and Firestick. I was also able to setup my Amazon Echo. So between blogging on my laptop, listening to music on Echo, playing games on PS3, and watching movies on Firestick I can no longer say that I'm bored.

Not much to report on my health other than the throat pain has increased and the frequent bowel movements have continued. I'm still eating solid foods for now. I realized that I've been shedding hair now as well, so rather than wait for it to fall out in patches, I decided to shave my head again, this time down to the skin. I'm not Mr. Clean bald, but definitely military bald. From what the doctors have told me, I've also lost about 8-10 lbs.

Day Plus 5-Flying Solo

On Monday July 24, my white blood cell counts were at 0.2, basically making me neutropenic. So that meant it was time to get my own room. Sharing a room was always hard, when you had guests over, when you had to use the shower or toilet, watching television, having conversations. Not to mention getting good sleep, when your neighbor would have his IV machine beeping or have nurses come in and out to check vitals, while I was having the same things done to myself. Romans 8:28 says "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." Sharing a room with a complete stranger, who was in the very same position you are in, definitely put living peaceably to the test.

I was in 3 different shared rooms during my first 2 weeks, with 3 total strangers. The first was King James, an older man who was very talkative and quirky. He could never get my name right. The second was Gus, an older man who was soft-spoken, transparent, and humble. He was always pleasant to talk with. The third was Kevin, the celebrity, who was a few years younger than me, who had all the nurses melting over his kids' pictures. I swear he was a secret celebrity because all the nurses would come in and constantly talk with him like he was their best friend.

So in the middle of the afternoon, they finally moved me to a solo room. It was worth the wait. I hope I get to stay in here the entire remainder of my hospital stay, because some of the nurses mentioned some people get put back in shared rooms when their counts go back up. Becky will also bringing my 24" TV with her the next day so I can finally hook up my PS3 and Firestick. I have the perfect spot for it in front of my bed, below the stringed lights my coworkers gave me.

Day Plus 4-It Is Well

Reflecting on that fact that we have been living in the Palo Alto area for 2 weeks now, in the hospital for 13 days. While I find myself complaining at times about being trapped in the hospital, eating the same food, constantly fighting nausea, being awakened in the middle of the night by nurses, I'm brought back to the fact that God, in His absolute sovereignty, has allowed me to be in this position, and to that, rather than saying woe is me, I can say that it is well with my soul. Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, said, “It would be a very sharp and trying experience to me to think that I have an affliction which God never sent me, that the bitter cup was never filled by his hand, that my trials were never measured out by him, nor sent to me by his arrangement of their weight and quantity.”

It's easy when things are going well, to be thankful to God when you have good health, a stable job, and good relationships. Or do we even think about God at all when all is well? Spurgeon also said, “I am afraid that all the grace that I have got of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours, might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable … Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house. It is the best book in a minister’s library.”

Like Spurgeon, I need to continually remind myself that one reason God brought trials was to give me more grace — more experienced nearness to Christ.  Spurgeon said trials brought him far more grace than ease and comfort did (Psa 119:67; Rom 5:3-5; 2Co 12:9-10; Heb 12:10; James 1:2-4; 1Pe 1:6-7). As I continue these 2 more weeks in the hospital, and 2 more months living in the area until mid-October, and 1 year to fully recover, my desire is to be continually thrown against the Rock which my trials beat and batter me against. And to that I can echo the words of the great hymn writer Horatio Spafford:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

Day Plus 3-Saturday

Saturday was pretty quiet. Just catching up on my SDCC 2017 stuff. I watched the trailers for Stranger Things 2, Justice League, The Defenders, Star Trek Discovery (which features Sasha who died on last season's Walking Dead), Thor: Ragnarok. Nausea was down to a minimum however diarrhea was going strong. One of the side effects from the chemo. My sister Eileen and Kevin came by to visit for a little bit and brought Becky a Sprinkles cupcake. Kristine was also working at Stanford Healthcare that day and happened to be at the hospital so she stopped by as well.

Day Plus 2-Thinking About SDCC

Not too much went on today, outside of the diarrhea, nausea, and stir craziness that comes with being restricted to a hospital. Becky and I did get a chance to catch the Celtic concert going on in the atrium from 1230-130. It was good just to get out before I'm officially confined to the E1 unit once I become neutropenic.

I spent portions of the day reading/listening through my 40 day New Testament Plan, scrolling through SD Comic Con 2017 articles, youtube videos, and pictures on the latest movie news, action figure photos, etc. all of which are going on as we speak through this weekend. Man, I can't believe it's been 5 years since my last Comic-Con. Why have you become so popular that we can no longer get tickets? My rant for the day. Becky and I even found a game Words with Friends that we could play against each other while away.

Today was interesting in the early evening, as I was very much on edge and nauseous. Maybe it was the smell of new neighbor's food wafting in the air. I tried to take a lap to get the edge off. What ultimately helped was a dose of Compazine in the IV and Atavin under the tongue to help with the nausea and put me to sleep. But of course now I'm wide awake typing this post. I included a few of my favorite Comic-Con pictures from the last time we went in 2012, the year I left my backpack of clothes, my work cell phone, and a few inexpensive souvenirs behind in a cab only to find out that my items were in possession by a group of homeless folks in SD. Long story. I lost my Shelby Cobra Shirt (below) and Nacho Libre Mask (below) on that trip.

Day Plus 1-The Start of the Grafting Process

Not too much happening on the day after transplant. I did receive my first treatment of Methotrexate (MTX), which is a chemotherapy agent and immune system suppressant, given on Days 1,3,6,11 to suspend T-cell growth. I also received a continued small dose of Tacrolimus (which started the day before transplant),  an immunosuppressive drug used mainly after allogeneic organ transplant to lower the risk of organ rejection. It achieves this by inhibiting the production of interleukin-2, a molecule that promotes the development and proliferation of T cells, which are vital to the body's learned (or adaptive) immune response. It basically suppresses the immune system from growing too fast. Otherwise, my day was filled with the usual nausea, lots of sleeping, and eating.

From what my doctors tell me, it typically takes several weeks for the new marrow to fully graft into my body. During this time, the cumulative effect of the chemo I've been given (Busulfan, Cytoxan) begins to lower my blood counts until I've becomes "neutropenic," meaning there is an abnormally low concentration of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the blood. Neutrophils make up the majority of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria, bacterial fragments and immunoglobulin-bound viruses in the blood. To put in pirate terms, take down the defenses and the ship is ripe for the plundering, or in my case grafting.

The grafting process is quite interesting. During this process, I'll be given meds to help suppress the body's normal defenses in order to help receive the foreign marrow. Minor to extreme rejections are what is called graft vs host disease. This could be as minor as skin rashes to as major as organ failure.

I'm reminded of the passage in Romans 11, where Paul talks about the grafting in of Gentile believers with the Jewish believers, all through the power and work of Christ. In order for a foreign material to be received and partake in the benefits of the natural plant being tied into the root, it takes an outside work of God for this to occur. The same could be said of my bone marrow transplant.

¹¹ So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^[b] mean!
¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[c] of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. ²³ And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Day 0-Transplant Day

July 19, 2017 was my bone marrow transplant day. This is what Stanford calls for BMT patients, their 2nd birthday. You've been given a 2nd chance at life by the introduction of new bone marrow into your body. If they use your own blood, it's called autologous. If they use another person's blood, it called allogenic. My youngest sister, Emmeline Reyes, born on November 22, 1982 was my donor, who is also O+ like me. She spent the prior 5 days getting daily shots to boost stem-cell production, and on the day before my transplant they harvested her blood in order to separate the marrow via centrifuge. Getting those shots made my sister get sick, nauseous, and achey. I recall my sister saying when she first got her blood tested before she was my match, that she knew she would be my match because we both liked using Excel. It was the engineer in both of us.

The transplant itself took place during noon and lasted only for an hour. Marrow, unlike blood, looks more watered-down. I received the marrow via IV, just like you would with a blood transfusion. I guess there are receptors in our hip where the marrow normally resides that draw in the marrow, just like a homing signal. I was actually very tired most of the day, and spent it sleeping. After my transplant was complete, a group of the nurses came in and sung happy birthday to me and left me with a cake. My parents and sister Eileen came to visit later that afternoon too, leaving me with a few birthday presents as well (Curry shirt, Star Wars Activity Book, and a few other books). Did you know my dad's birthday was that same day as well?