Dave Update: April 21, 2011

Hello family and friends, a short update on Dave since returning from Stanford last week.   He has done better this time, but not without some difficulty.  After returning last Friday, Dave started to feel pretty crummy on Sunday:  fatigue, diarrhea, nauseous, no appetite.  Not getting any better on Monday, they decided to drop by his oncologist where they discovered his blood pressure was a bit low and he was again in need of some fluids.  They gave him some meds to help with the stomach issues and hooked him up to an IV for several hours.  He was asked to return on Tuesday.  By Tuesday, he was feeling a bit better and only had to have a little fluids.  On Wednesday, they started daily blood draws.  Dave said he was feeling some bone pain, which is common when doing the daily shots that stimulate stem cell growth.  If you recall from round one, the blood draws determine if enough stem cells have been generated for harvesting.  Another words, it could be any day now, and like before, they will have a moments notice to head back to Stanford for the harvesting.  As of now though, they have him scheduled for Monday for harvesting.  But that might change.   We are just waiting for his white cell count to rise. 

Harvesting can take 1-4 days in the hospital.  The first round, Dave and his super stem cells only took a record 1 day so lets hope we get the same results this time.  We should have a 2-3 week break before the actual transplant. 

The actual scheduled date for the transplant itself is May 20, but Dave will report to Stanford on the 16 for an overnight stay, where he will have tests, blood drawn, a round of chemo, etc.    He will also have one last round of chemo the day before the transplant on the 19.  I will go in more depth about the transplant itself when we cross that bridge.  What I can tell you from all that I've read, it's pretty anti-climatic compared to what Dave has gone through.  The healthy stem cells (that have been frozen) are basically put back into his body through a blood transfusion that takes approximately 30 minutes.    The most sensitive time is the days immediately proceeding the transplant as his body slowly accepts the stem cells.  My mom and Dave will be staying in Stanford at this point at an apartment or hotel for the remainder of his recovery which could take anywhere between 4-6 weeks depending on his super powers

This is my dedication to Dave and a reminder to all of us the importance of praising God in good times and bad.  Please listen by clicking on the image below with the arrow:




Sunday, April 24- Our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the grave.     Jesus Christ rose from the dead for you and me. He made the one and only sacrifice for our sins. Jesus says in the Bible, "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead in sin, yet shall he live." John 11:25

Jesus truly is alive. He stands at the door of our hearts, and he is knocking. He wants a personal relationship with each one of us. We need the Lord. "He is an ever present help in time of need." Psalm 46:1.

Only through him can we have eternal life. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Jesus promises, "Because I live, you shall live also." John 14:19.


Exciting news:   CEO and Founder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Kathy Giusti, was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 must influential people in the world!  Kathy earned this recognition for the incredible progress she has made transforming the way medical research and drug development are conducted and, ultimately, dramatically improving the outlook for patients with multiple myeloma and other cancers.