BMT Day 2

Today is Day 2 post bone marrow transplant. Ashtyn feels terrible. Things will continue to get worse in the next week, hitting rock bottom where she’ll stay for about 2-3 weeks as we wait for the new marrow to engraft and start producing blood cells. Rock bottom encompasses so much. Her body is completely depleted and has zero white blood cells. I can’t explain the complexity of what white blood cells do for your body or what it means to have zero bone marrow. Without them, it takes a lot to keep a body alive. Nurses have more responsibilities than I can list but here are a few: physical assessments, vital signs, make sure Ashtyn receives 32 IV medication doses, manage her Dilaudid PCA pump and continual IV fluids, give 22 oral medications, give RBC and platelet transfusions, lab draws, central line care, and assist with anything Ashtyn or I need. My responsibilities include, discuss plan with the healthcare team throughout the day, assist Ashtyn to the restroom, do laundry, bed-baths, linen changes, clean messes, order her food, encourage her to drink protein shakes, sit her up in bed from time to time, encourage her to use an incentive spirometer to prevent pneumonia, help her brush her teeth, do any physical therapy possible. I do range of motion, stretch her calves, get her a barf bag, address pain, and comfort her. That’s just currently and just the beginning. She’s in pain because the entire process is painful. She’s nauseated and extremely weak. Each day Ash is less and less social, and sleeps more and more. She’s no longer walking to the bathroom, instead uses a bedside commode and wears a diaper just in case. Because she feels so horrible, it doesn’t faze her that all her independence is gone. Too sick to care. Remarkably she’s doing as good as any doctor would expect. Her liver, kidneys, heart, and lungs are doing well. She drinks protein shakes and isn’t on IV nutrition yet. There’s no sign of infections or serious complications. As of now, everything is as expected for a BMT. She’s in the middle of a huge storm she’ll have to wait out but it will pass in time. I’m always encouraging her, “You are doing so much better than you feel.”

She feels a lot of comfort from Dr. Adam Lamble

Company brought energy and strength 

that couldn’t come any other way.

Bringing a little bit of home to Ashtyn. 

She hasn’t hung out with Ethan all day but knows he’s there.