Headed for the MSS unit again

We are headed down to the short stay unit again today. My understanding is that Beth is going to have to get another transfusion. I’ve been going in to work each day, and so I don’t get a chance to talk directly with the folks in the hospital, and so I have less information than I’d like. Last I saw, her hemoglobin level was rising slightly, but it’s also been a hallmark of her behavior that, if she’d get a transfusion, she’d feel good, she’d try to do a lot of stuff around the house, and then she’d feel tired again. Maybe that’s what’s happening.

We do have an appointment with Dr Rossetti on Monday, January 9, and we should find out a lot.

Beth is still suffering from itchy, painful blisters on her hands and feet, and she’s itchy in other places as well. She does seem to be having less trouble eating (it’s easy to see that she’s lost some weight during this process).

MSS unit news

Really we are back on T7, because the MSS is closed for the weekend, but we are in the MSS phase of treatment, so I thought, just go with it.

Beth’s numbers appear to be good: hemoglobin over 10 (she was never there before the transplant), white cells over 4.5, and even platelets up a bit to 52. Her blood pressure (treated) was 122/80, though she was still complaining of pain and itchy skin, both likely from GVH. She is getting the IV antibiotic Daptomycin, along with some magnesium. Barring any complications, this should be the routine for a while.

The Medical Short Stay Era

It seems as if we are entering the “medical short stay” (“MSS”) phase of treatment. Beth will go in to the MSS unit at West Penn each day (weekends too), where they will draw blood, check levels, and give her what she needs.

So even though her white count is in a normal range, all sorts of other things are out of balance. She will likely still need platelets and hemoglobin and antibiotics an all sorts of other things, and she’ll get them on a day to day basis for the next few weeks.

I’ve dropped her off at the MSS and I’m ready to head in to work now. I expect to be working pretty much full time again (with a few exceptions). It is not often that you can take three weeks off of work for a major medical crisis and step back in and pick things up, without experiencing other major crises, and we are by no means out of the woods, but we seem to be, with the beginning of the new year, getting ready to pick back up with our lives without too much major disruption (we hope), and I am grateful to everyone who has helped us to get through this.