Day 7 post transplant

This is my first blog so bear with me. I got to the clinic early this morning so I could see my dad. He said he had a good night sleep and he was in a better mood than yesterday. Jeanie and Cindy arrived at about 10:00 this morning. The doctors informed us that his third stem cell treatment was going to be in about an hour so we all got very excited. While we waited in his room for the treatment, Doctor Nancy prepped the stem cells for injection. First she removed them from the liquid nitrogen container and put them into a cup of warm water so they would thaw out. While Dr. Nancy prepped the stem cells, Simone prepped both my dad and his roommate Jerry. They both received mannitol. This drug is given to break down the blood brain barrier so the stem cells will be able to penetrate the brain and take root. Before the stem cells were given, Dr Nancy gave Simone a small dose of the stem cells (which are all neurological stem cells) to inject into his arm to determine whether he is allergic to them. He did present with a small bump that Simone circled with a pen. I grew nervous as I noticed the nurses pointing and looking at it, but Jeanie assured me that it was fine as long as it didn’t get red and spread out further, which it did not. After that, Dr. Nancy proceeded to fill the IV bag of Saline with the stem cells which are transported along with DMSO so the stem cells will pass through the body easier. Once he was ready to receive the stem cells they stopped the mannitol drip and started the stem cell drip. The stem cell drip included about 20 to 25 million cells and although that seems like a lot, he sucked it up pretty fast. Maybe he was eager to get stem cells working for him. The nurse did fill the bag back up with a little Saline and pushed it around the bag to gather any remaining stem cells. Simone also injected an additional vial of stem cells into his abdomen (see hairy chest photo). After the stem cell therapy was finished, Simone turned the mannitol drip back on so the stem cells would have a clear path to his brain. Dr. Ghen visited with each patient asked a few questions, answered a few more questions and explained what these stem cells were. Then he moved on to the next patient room. While this entire process is going on, he had been breathing pure oxygen from a tank. I am not sure why they give oxygen but they give it 2 hours before the treatment and 2 hours after (I think this might increase blood flow through out the body). After the treatment was complete, they fed him lunch and we left the room to give him some privacy and also to go eat as well. That is where we are right now. Jeanie has her head on the table (I think she is tired from all the tequila shots), I am typing and Cindy is swimming in the pool. Anyways everyone here is very nice. Dr Blyweiss said in an email, every patient is their most important patient, and I have seen first hand that is the truth. He is in good hands and we will update again later.

Love Everyone
Joe, Cindy, Beanie