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| The view of the Volcano from our balcony tonight |
Our housekeeper arrived about 9:30 and disinfected our house. We washed all the sheets, towels and hand towels along with the clothes we wore yesterday. And then we were ready to head to the clinic at 11:30.
The ride to the clnic was much more upbeat then Monday. Everyone was feeling better. Kirsten, who had a relapse on Monday, has now had two days of steroids and she was with us again. We were all so glad to see her. She is having more difficulty with walking but she was up and ready to keep moving forward. Karin who has the least mobility in our group said she is having less spasicity, and another woman not in our group, was telling me that she is feeling stronger. Everyone is just a little afraid to be hopeful; the patients have all been through years of struggle. Of course, they are afraid of being disappointed.
The wonderful thing about our group is that we have the ability to continuously check-in with each other through Facebook Messenger. Throughout the day there are questions posted, inquiries of concern for one another and announcements made. I can't say enough about how going through treatment together has been incredibly supportive. I am so glad we decided to come to Clinical Ruiz in Mexico for treatment.
Our meeting with Dr. Delgato was for only about 10 minutes. He and Dr. Andrew checked Doug's vitals again and then he reviewed his blood work. Doug is officially in neutropenia now. His neutorphil count was 1500. Below 4000 is considered in neutropenia. This is good news, this is when Doug's immune system will "reboot" and the new stem cells can begin building a new immune system with no memory of MS. His hemoglobin has dropped, this is normal too.
This morning Doug woke up feeling good. He said to me a couple of times, that he could not believe how good he feels. I think he expected to feel much worse. However, I think he is much more tired today. He has slept quite a bit today. His cough has been a little more pronounced today. He is still doing pretty well walking with the walker and getting up and down pretty well.
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| Our freeze dried meals from Salt Lake City |
Our freeze dried neutropenia food finally arrived last night. We had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, but for dinner we decided to try out the chicken alfredo. I would not say it was great but it was edible. I laughed when I read the back of the package. It was made in Salt Lake City. I think our Mormon friends are taking care of us. We have 84 emergency storage meals. We definately have a taste of food from home. :)
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| Neutropenia Diet: Chicken Alfredo and Vegetables. |
We are looking forward to tomorrow to celebrate in a very small way, Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.
Holy One, we thank you for new beginnings. We look forward to the changes that will happen in our lives as Doug's body is "rebooted". Give us courage and strength with the ups and downs that will come and strengthen our vision in the possibilities of new life. Amen.
Eileen--Thanks for keeping us updated on this process. I hope it will become the answer for many, but in particular for Doug. A few days ago my high school friends and I mourned the loss of our classmate, just 50 years old, who has suffered with MS for many years. He finally succumbed to its ravages. It gives me hope to know that Doug may be spared any more, and that others might also. I pray He will continue to bless you.
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