40 days since transplant

I am still doing well and in fact I continue to gain more and more strength. Tomorrow I will be going in to the Washington hospital to get my blood tested so they can send my blood results to my doctors in Iowa City. Today I also went to the Parents as Teachers office to print off information handouts. It is an easy job unless the copy machine doesn’t work. It was eating all the papers and causing me all sorts of problems as I tried to make copies. One thing that I am praying for is that my blood cells continue to increase because I would prefer not to get another blood transfusion. The doctors told me not to expect the blood counts to be in the normal range for 1-2 months.

Nathan

p.s. It has been a joy to hear Nathan playing the guitar again and I am thanking God for that progress. Thanks for your many prayers. We need to continue to trust God as we face the uncertainties of Nathan’s future health. Carol

Recovering

I made another trip to the hospital today and was pleased to hear my doctors are still very impressed with my progress of recovery. My blood work came back looking well, although it is still below normal. And I haven’t have to have a blood transfusion since I have left the bone marrow transplant floor. I am happy about that. My doctors also said that I don’t need to come back to the hospital for another three weeks. I am thankful that God has given me the strength to be as healthy as I am right now. For now I am spending my time at home and with family and friends. I hope you are all doing well!

Take care,
Nathan

Enjoying Home!

I played the guitar for the first time in a long time, and it was a lot of fun even though it made my left fingers sore. I also had a hospital visit this past Monday with my cancer doctors. It was also fun to see a couple of my nurses from when I was in the bone marrow transplant unit. But, I didn’t get any new details about what is coming up and my blood cells are all about the same as they were from my last test. The next time I will be going to the hospital will be this coming Monday to visit with the doctors again, and I pray my blood cells take a jump in their numbers. Other than that I have been healthy since leaving the hospital. My eating is slowly increasing and I am drinking plenty of liquids. Right now my biggest fear is that the cancer will grow back, and I hate that part of my thoughts. It is often a part of my prayers.

Take Care,
Nathan

Our Farm House

Hello-

Unfortunately this is probably my last day here at the Davis’ house. But, that means my house is being finished and is looking more ready to move into again. Right now there are a number of people from my church there helping my parents clean and move our furniture back to where it belongs.

I also thought it would be good to tell you all that I am all finished with my IV nutrition. That wasn’t much fun, kind of like being at the hospital, and I only had to take it for one night. The important thing is that I drink eight glasses of liquids a day and eat and that is what I need to keep me from sucking vitamins into my blood vessels. It was nice to be done with that.

Right now I am in the recovery state and I pray that my body continues to recover with no more cancer ever!

Nathan

Back Home!

Back Home! Well, at least back out of the hospital. Right now I am hanging out at Craig and Jane Davis’ house as my house is currently being redone. We are refinishing our downstairs original hardwood floors. And it is beautiful, but, a bit inconvenient. Luckily we have great friends who are willing to give us help as our house has all the downstairs furniture stored in our garage. I will be home soon though. Right now I am also taking IV nutrition at home. It is to help me get enough fluids and calories in me because my daily eating is still less than perfect. One prayer that I would like is to be done with the nuisance of preparing for the nightly IV’s. I also need more prayers for the health of my body. My blood cells need to continue to grow so that I can be more resistant to becoming sick, which is another prayer concern. But today I am completely thrilled to be back out of the hospital. Thanks for all your prayers.

Love,
Nathan

Homeward Bound

Today is day 17 after transplant. We are thankful that it seems Nathan will be able to go home tomorrow. He will probably need I.V. nutrition at home until he drinks more fluids. He will need to take precautions for 3 months e.g. wearing a mask when he is around crowds of people, refraining from vacuuming, dusting, and gardening. Oh well, maybe we can get him to wash dishes.  Tomorrow will be exactly four weeks when Nathan came into the bone marrow transplant unit. He has been through an awful lot during these four weeks and we are grateful for the progress he has made. Continue to remember Nathan and us as we make the transition from hospital to home.

Tim & Carol

Great News

My white counts are at 5.2. My dad came up around noon today. I slept a little past nine this morning and then a little bit in the afternoon. After my walk today, I got a nose bleed and had to stop the bleeding and they gave me more platelets. But, even more interesting early this morning, well late for most of you, I found out that the doctors are planning on sending me home on Monday! As I have said, “I am ready to be out of the hospital.” Right now I realize my prayer concerns are to remain healthy while in the hospital and to maintain a great quality of health when I leave the hospital. I will need to be especially careful for the first three months after leaving the hospital. The doctors want to wean me off of nutritional IV, which means I need to continue to learn to eat normal food. Right now each day is getting a little bit better. Remember me in prayer as I prepare to go back home.

Love,
Nathan