In review, I had Melphalan (strong chemotherapy) on June 9-10. Then my stem cells were re infused on the 12th and 13th. Typically, this means that this week and next are the hardest.
Everything is going according to the plan. That doesn’t make me feel any better as I feel bad, very bad. I’ve had profuse diarrhea for 8 days as well as well as background nausea and vomiting. Except for my abdominal cramps, and blisters on my feet from walking, I don’t have a lot of pain.
Speaking of blisters, they are the results of trying to walk 3 miles per day, here on the floor. I started out strong, 5 miles per day for the first two weeks, yesterday I walked only 2/10s of a mile. But I did complete a Marathon the first week and am now at 29 miles. But the walking is becoming more and more difficult.
Yesterday was my worst day so far. I’m feeling a little better today, but it would be premature to call this a trend or turnaround point.
Last night was an eventful time. First, I had a temperature of 100.1 F. Fever, in someone like me, with virtually no bone marrow, is taken very seriously. I was awake for the first half of the night as nurses were in and out of my room setting up the infection work up, blood, urine, and stool cultures. Those are all pending as I type. I was treated, preemptively with the IV antibiotics, cefepime.
About the time I was drifting back off to sleep, in between episodes of diarrhea, the nurse re-entered the room to report that my platelets had bottomed out and now I would have my third infusion of blood products (platelets). Soon after this infusion started, I went into rigors (severe chills). So, this response to the platelets launched the next phase of work up, taking me up to daylight.
Lastly, today my hair started to fall out in big chunks. It was inescapable.
Denise has been here, at my side, for the whole thing.
J. Michael Jones 
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