Day 10

Monday, April 28

Today was a very difficult day for Gail. She woke up around 3:00 am having difficulty breathing. Fluid building up around her lungs was the problem. She was put on oxygen, given a diuretic, had a chest x-ray and was given an EKG.This was all done before 6:00 am! Respiratory therapy was started early in the morning and Gail remained on oxygen throughout the day.

Things started settling down for Gail within a few hours, and by the time her doctor made his rounds around 9:30, she was breathing a whole lot better and the EKG and x-ray came back OK. When her doctor checked her breathing, he asked how she was doing. She said she felt really rotten... his response was "good, you are doing really good". It was our understanding this is all part of the process as you move toward engraphment. 

Gail's platelet count was low as well so she received platelets in the early afternoon. A dosage of Benadryl precedes the platelet transfusion, so Gail spent most of the afternoon very drowsy.

It is definitely not an easy process... so thanks for all the kind words and prayers!