Friday, June 11, 2010

Hello every one!

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. It's been a very busy few weeks...getting the house cleaned up and put back together again after some construction and re-doing of floors. Patrick was very happy and excited after coming home last Thursday. It was a bit of a rough weekend but I was so happy to have him home! It's been a long six weeks.
We had our first bi-weekly check-up at COH on Monday. When his labs came back his white cell count was elevated, indicating an infection, and we were told that Patrick would have to be re-admitted. Not the news we wanted or expected. By Tuesday they had found that it was a bacterial infection that could be treated with antibiotics. Very good news. By Wednesday his counts were almost back to normal and Patrick came home again on Thursday! Best news!
Patrick is doing very well. He's happy to be home and continue his recovery.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Day +15

Hello everyone!
Patrick's recovery is going full steam ahead! His counts are all coming up nicely and he's feeling better every day. He's starting to eat again and he was released from confinement! He still can't go outside but at least he can leave his room and go for walks around his wing of the hospital.
Patrick will most likely be home within the next two weeks!
Thank you all so much for your love and support.
Gracias!

Friday, May 14, 2010

day +8

Hello everyone!
It's been eight days since Patrick's transplant and he is doing super well. We had a few very rough days but his white blood cells are coming back up and he is actually four days ahead of schedule in his recovery! His white cells are at .7 which is awesome, but he is in isolation and can't leave his room until they come up to 1.0. Needless to say, he's getting a little restless (scrabble to the rescue!). He's thrilled about his recovery and
he asked me to thank you all for your friendship and support. He misses you all very much and he can't wait to get out of this joint and see your smiling faces!
Gracias!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Hi Patrick! We made a get better soon puppet show for you! We hope you like it!
Celeste, Robert and Little Socks ;)

Day +5

Hello Everyone! So sorry I haven't been able to post over the last few days. I've been having issues with Blogger and couldn't get signed on.
Wednesday was the big day! Seamus finished up the collection process with a total collection of five million stem cells! He did an awesome job! (Thank you Seamus!) At the end of his procedure, his hemoglobin count was low and his doctor thought he might need to receive blood. Four hours and a nice steak later, his doctor was happily surprised to find that his counts were back up to normal. These O'Sheas are a strong bunch!
Patrick's transplant went well. He received Seamus's stem cells via his PICC line over two hours. The following 14 days will be the toughest. It takes about two weeks for Patrick to start producing his own white blood cells. Then the healing can begin. It's a hard road but Patrick is keeping a good attitude. He's pushing through and looking forward to healthy days ahead.
Thank you all for your continued support! I'll update you again in a couple of days.
Gracias!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Day -1

Seamus was admitted into COH today. He started his stem cell collection and will continue tomorrow morning. He did very well! (Thank you Seamus!) The human body contains 5.1 liters of blood. Seamus cycled 21+ liters of blood over six hours! That means his entire blood supply went through the centrifuge system just over four times. Wow!
Patrick had a rough day...Nausea, headaches and very tired / a residual of his conditioning. His spirits are high,though, and he's looking forward to his transplant tomorrow. Time for bed now...big day tomorrow!
Thank you all for your continued support. Your prayers and well wishes make all the difference.
Gracias!