Day 1

He had a good night; I took Mom home and came back to spend the night. He slept well and had a couple of minor fever spikes overnight, but for the most part it was happily uneventful.

The stem cells were very fresh yesterday, so they did not need the preservative, the DMSO, which is the stuff that makes the odor. So it was nice for him not to have an additional problem, albeit minor.

Today he will remain on Tamicrol and will get his first dose of Methotrexate, a chemo drug that aids in keeping Graft-vs.-Host Disease (GVHD) at bay. Methotrexate is used for lots of other ailments including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and termination of ectopic pregnancies as well as many cancers. He hasn't started the Methotrexate yet, they're waiting on an OK from the doctor on Vlad's kidneys. It is hard on the kidneys. This worries me a bit; he was in kidney failure in March of 2008 when he went in for his first leukemia. We'll just have to see.

I chatted with some transplant spouses in the family room this morning. Their spouses were both Day 5. Their meds were a little different, but both were having trouble with coughing and body fluids. The man was in his pajamas. And the woman in her bathrobe. It's a little surreal around here from time to time.

He's snoring right now, like any other day. It's comforting.