Bone Marrow Transplant: Updates and Jokes for Jerry
Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 6:30AM This is the sixth installment of the story of Jerry's Bone Marrow Transplant, which details my father-in-law's life saving bone marrow transplant at Johns Hopkins Cancer Center in Baltimore. Read the previous installment - Part Five: THE BIG DAY
Update on Jerry
We are a week past the bone marrow donation and Jerry is doing as well as can be expected. I took the photo of him and Chris together on Thursday and the mask is not for effect. I asked if we could take it off for the picture, but Jerry's immune system is so low that it's just too risky. None of us are sick, but we are keeping our distance anyway.
The numbers are dramatic. A normal person has a count of about 7000 white blood cells. When Jerry began the treatment a week and a half ago, he had 1550. The day of the transplant he had 200 and on the 18th, just 160. It's dangerously low, but exactly where they want it to be for the transplant to work. They are checking 42 different numbers, most relating to his blood, like glucose and platelets.
On Monday night at about 2:30 am, Maddy called us asking for Tylenol because Jerry had a fever. It was 100.5 and it was something that we were expecting, but the next day he was admitted when the fever went up to 103. He was in the hospital for three nights and everyone who entered his room, including Maddy, had to wear a gown, gloves and a mask.
They ran tests, but nothing came back with anything serious and so it was simply a routine part of the treatment. Jerry was also feeling the full effects of the chemo, with vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. The day he left, he had nine bags of different antibiotics and anti-rejection meds being pumped into him. He was being visited every day by four different doctors, each doing their own exam and run down of the history and medications he was getting. It's been a rough week for him, but he is hanging in there and him coming home Thursday night was a relief for all of us, but especially Maddy.
Despite everything, they are still finding humor in it all. When I was taking the photo above, Maddy was on the sidelines telling Jerry to smile! There were also jokes about the "briefs" that Jerry had to wear because of the diarrhea, which they were calling diapers. However, the biggest laughs were about a mistaken word. A nurse had asked Jerry to remember three words, "nickel", "pony" and "chair". Later in the conversation, she asked him to repeat the words and when he said "nipple", the nurse was horrified! "Why would I say nipple?" she said. (Keep in mind she was wearing a mask and it would be easy to mistake what she said.) At the time, Jerry wasn't feeling well enough to laugh, but later it became something very funny to tell and by the next day even the nurse was giggling over it. They suggested the nurse change the word to "quarter".
Update on Chris
Chris is doing fantastic. He's still feeling a little tight in his lower back and hips, but he does not need to take Tylenol anymore, he's sleeping normally and he's been accompanying us out on the town. Thursday we went for a short walk and to lunch, and Friday we drove downtown and spent the afternoon wandering around. He still can't pick up Quinn, and he has moments when he is feeling sore, but overall it's such a huge improvement. He even spent a couple hours alone on Thursday in the resident's lounge playing the piano. This morning he took Jerry to the hospital for his daily 7:30 am appointment so that Maddy could get her hair done.
Update on the Rest of Us
Maddy is amazing. She is really keeping it together, totally on top of all the medications, at the hospital for 15 hours with Jerry while he was admitted and now taking him twice a day for his neupogen shot, anti-rejection meds and antibiotics. She's tired, but she is so totally in this with him that she can't even think about taking a break. She let Chris take Jerry to the hospital this morning only because she needs to get her hair done. It's a necessity and otherwise she insists on being with Jerry.
Gloria and I have each gotten a massage and are trading off on watching the three kids, or taking them out together. I've had to dig deep this week, it seems that the strength ran out and I needed to rejuvenate a little, but we have also been keeping busy and that helps to distract from everything. I was able to take some pictures (Typography at the B&O Railway Museum and Inner Harbor Night Lights) and post a few new entries on my blog (For Earth Day: Watch "The Mountain" by Terje Sorgjerd) and I even cooked dinner last night for everyone! Hank has been running errands and helping with the kids, he went back to NY for an interview and then returned the very next day. And the kids have been the kids, keeping us busy and laughing. For as challenging and stressful as this week has been, we are finding joy in the small moments and being perhaps more generous with each other than we have ever been.
A GIVEAWAY
We know everyone reading here is also on Team Jerry and so we decided to give away TWO Team Jerry hats! We've got black, grey, pink and green hats and the lucky winners will get to choose the color that they want. They are fantastic hats and we are so excited to share them with you, but here is the hitch, you need to submit a JOKE FOR JERRY. In the comments below, please submit your best joke. You've got all weekend to come up with a good one. On Sunday, April 24th at midnight I will close the comments and use a random number generator to determine the winners. If your joke is too long, or perhaps in questionable taste (those are welcome too!), please use the "Email Me" button in the top navigation to submit the joke and also leave a comment on this post that you sent it via email. For everything else though, please put your joke in the comments so that we can all enjoy them. Get your funny pants on people, we want to hear what you've got. Make Jerry laugh and win a Team Jerry hat!
Read the next installment - Part Seven: Team Jerry Hat Winners
Bone Marrow Transplant, Health in Family
Reader Comments (13)
there is a long line at the Jet Blue counter AT JFK. . A harried man rushes up to the ticket agent exclaiming" I need to get on the next flight"! The ticket agent looks up and says, "there is a long line , sir, please get at the end and wait your turn"! The man then shouts out, "do you know who I am?" The agent pauses one moment, then reachers for the mike and announces, "THERE IS A MAN AT THE JET BLUE COUNTER AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHO HE IS"!
Great blogs, Leslie! thanks so much for keeping all of us "in the loop"!
Doris
I would love a hat and I would love to tell a good joke. I am however the worst joke teller. I am the audience and I hope Jerry can hear my laughter at his beautiful mask. Take it off Jerry, take it all off. signed, your friend "nipples la rue" Big guy K sends love and I have him working on a joke for you. However, nothing beats the image of you sending the books flying at the NY Public library. kisses, FS and KS
What happened when the Pope went to Mount Olive??
Popeye ~ socked him..
A man walking down the street came upon a woman carrying a duck under her arm.
The man said to the woman, "hey, where'd you get the pig"?
The woman answered, "it's not a pig, it's a duck"
and the man said, "I was talking to the duck"...
"In days of olde
when knight were bold,
and toilets weren't invented...
you left your load upon the road
and walked away contented."
Keep up the good work!- Love, Lorraine
Hi Jerry - I hope all is well and continues to get well! I don't know any good jokes myself however when I was a kid my mom told me a really bad, really cheezy joke and for some reason I always remember it (no matter how hard I try to forget!) So I will now pass it onto you in the hopes that I can rid it from me!! =)
Q. What's the difference between a snowman and a snow woman?
A. Snow balls
Yup, it's bad, in my mothers defense she runs a daycare. =)
All the best!!
Heather
I sent a joke via e-mail as it was too long for here - i hope it is enjoyed
What's the difference between inlaws and outlaws??
Outlaws are Wanted!!
Okay, these are a little on the crude side...
Q. What do you call a lesbian dinosaur?
A. Lickalotapus
Q. What do you call a gay male dinosaur?
A. Mightysauras
Why does Snoop Dog need an umbrella? A. Fodrizzles.
Two Muffin are in the oven one said it's getting hot in here the other shouted ahh a talking muffin!
What's Brown and sticky? A Stick.
Why was Tigger looking in the toilet? He was looking for Pooh!!
A doctor & his wife have a big argument at breakfast. "You aren't so good in bed either" the Dr. shouts before he storms off to work.
By mid-morning the Dr. is feeling bad about what he said & wants to make amends. He phones home. After many rings the wife answers. "What took you so long to answer the phone" he asks.
"I was in bed" the wife says.
"What were you doing in bed so late?" the Dr. asks.
"Getting a second opinion."
A real woman is a man's best friend. She will Never stand him up and never let him down. She will reassure him when he feels insecure and comfort him after a bad day. She will inspire him to do things he never thought he could do; to live without fear and forget regret. She will enable him to express his deepest emotions and give in to his most intimate desires. She will make sure he always feels as though he's the most handsome man in the room and will enable him to be the most confident, sexy, seductive and invincible...
No wait... Sorry.. I'm thinking of scotch. It's scotch that does all that stuff.
Never mind.
Submitted via email.