Bone Marrow Recovery

I finally have time to post about everything that has happened in regards to the bone marrow donation on Thursday. 

We arrived at the Baylor Hospital in downtown Dallas @ 5:45 am. I got checked in and then we had to wait until they called me to check my vital signs and then take me to holding area for surgery. My Coordinator, Jennifer, arrived a few minutes after 6 and stayed with us the whole time until I was rolled in for surgery and then kept Jen company while I was having the procedure done. I donned the fashionable hospital gown and waited to be asked the same questions over and over by doctors and nurses. Finally 7:30 came and I had my IV in and a nice drug cocktail flowing through me and it was time to go into the operating room. I only remember a minute or 2 of the operating room. The next thing I know I was awakened in the Recovery Room (the actual procedure only took a half hour). I was in recovery for a few hours because they didn't have a room ready for me. I really didn't feel a lot of pain (I was expecting a lot worse), but they did give me some drugs through the IV. 

I was eventually taken to a regular room where I would be the rest of the day.  I wasn't allowed to get out of bed until 2:00. So I just laid there and ate ice chips, drank water and eventually ate some cheese and crackers. I pretty much just talked with Jen, the hospital staff to pass the time. Finally, 2:00 came and I was allowed to get out of bed, but we decided that we better have the hospital staff be there in case I decided to fall. I was able to stand up for a while, but then I started feeling light-headed and had to sit back down. Long story short, my blood pressure was running low partially because of the loss of fluid as well as me taking my blood pressure medication that morning. We ended up being at the hospital longer than the doctor originally had expected because we had to wait until my lightheadedness went away.

I have 2 small incisions near my waist line on my back that are about 1/4" long. The incisions are so small that they didn't require stitches.

I haven't done a whole lot since Thursday, but I haven't been in a lot of pain (again, I prepared myself for the worse). They did provide me with some pain medicine, but I have only taken Tylenol. We did get out and go to Wal-Mart yesterday and I over did it because I was in some pain from walking. So, going to work tomorrow will be rather interesting. It's been difficult to not help with Madison, but I am following the doctors orders of not lifting 10 lbs for a week.

I talked with my coordinator tonight because she wanted to see how I was doing. She told me that my marrow did make it to where it needed to go on Friday night. The doctor told me that the marrow left the hospital about noon Thursday, so it definitely went far far away. They told us that it would be 30 days before the recipient will start to see signs if the marrow donation is working. Jen learned from talking with the coordinator that everything that I am allergic to the recipient will now be allergic to as well as since I have already had chicken pox he will be immune from them as well. We thought that was pretty interesting. 

So, that is all and I may or may not ever hear how the little boy does, but at least I have done my part and given him a chance to be able to survive.