Dear Support Group,

I bailed Jack out of the hospital last Wednesday, almost a week, it seems a month ago. All the affects from the chemotherapy, etc., hit you about 2 weeks after the transplant. Jack felt so good right after but right now he is going to a very rough stretch.

The apartment is o.k., although our DSL is still not working so that I am using the computer at the hospital to write. I am getting all the kinks worked out. It's very frustrating because we are paying way too much for this place, but we don't have a choice.

Jack is feeling weak and sick. I can barely get him into the car and to the hospital right now. Each day we have the same routine, an appointment for his lab work and they we go to the outpatient care unit where Jack gets put in a room and they infuse him with magnesium and whatever else he needs according to the results of the lab work. The infusions take at least 3 - 4 hours. We are spending an average of 5 hours at the hospital each day. Its a huge place - kind of overwhelming, you talk to nurses, doctors, get more prescriptions filled (Jack takes ten different prescriptions a day). Once a week, tomorrow, he'll have a bone marrow aspiration so see how his stem cells are doing. Very painful, but necessary.

It is very hard to see Jack so sick, but his bone marrow transplant is working well, he is producing his own blood, and he should be feeling better in a couple of weeks. Our fellow patients tell us its a roller coaster. Jack can not eat anything and I am trying to force him to eat, that does not sound like Jack, right? We get a chuckle each day at the weigh-in, he has not eaten in two weeks but has not lost a pound. His hair is starting to come back slowly, he sure looks different without hair.

Anyhow, I am just writing to ask you to keep us in your prayers. I know things will get better :).

I am sure my next update is going to be a bit cheerier,

Barb