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Engrafted
By Margot | November 12, 2009
Sam’s stem cells have officially engrafted. His platelets today were 86 - up ten from 76 on Monday without any help at all from a transfusion! I keep thinking of when we collected those stem cells and how it seems like a lifetime ago. I looked back at my post from March of 2005 with little four and half year-old Sam and I’ve pasted below the part about his stem cells…..
“Sam and I just got back from The City of Hope Hospital (Northeast of LA) where we went for stem cell collection. It went very smoothly. He had surgery very early yesterday morning to put in the catheter, woke up like a bearcat from the anaesthesia as he usually does (he doesn’t like feeling disoriented), and after he got his bearings, they sent us to the donor room for collection. The donor room is a big room filled with a lot of beds and big, old fashioned looking machines with blood tubes winding in an out of different gears like a super long crazy straw. Sam was the only kid in the room but everyone was very nice and our nurse Terri, mother of four boys, gamely threw paper airplanes with us and helped us in our aim so we didn’t hit nearby patients. After about four and a half hours, we were finished for the day. Sam started with a white count of 91 (which is enormously high) and Terri said the color looked good and she thought we’d get a lot of cells. They had told us to plan for at least two whole days of collection. They need 5 million cells per something (kilo of body weight?) for the transplant and usually want twice that for back up. Sam gave, drum roll please,,, 68 million stem cells per whatever they needed in four an a half hours! We have six bags of stem cells which is awesome because they will come in very handy in case of relapse. The only catch is that we won’t know if the stem cells are clean (cancer free) for another four or five days. If they are, then we are done with collection. If not, then we have to go back and do it all again.
Dr. Boleton took out his catheter (which sucked but I won’t go into gory detail on that) at 6pm last night and we zoomed home. I was telling Sammy how brave he was and that he was an amazing little boy and I said, “Buddy you have no idea how amazing you are.†He answered, “Yes, I do mom, I’m _really_ amazing.â€
Boy that line, “they will come in handy in case of relapse” seems so innocent to me now. I don’t think I appreciated how very lucky we were. I do now though. I remember Neil asking Dr. Boletan to make sure we collected extra stem cells and she’d promised she would but there was no guarantee how many would actually be collected.
His urnialysis from today was up to 1900 red blood cells from 500 a couple of days ago. His urine is still clear but with a touch of light pink here and there.   We’ll up the hydration tonight. I also had him hydrated while we were waiting for counts in the hospital.   His VMA/HVA numbers were 13 and 11 this week but LDH was 1500 (double normal) today. So don’t really know what to think going in to scans. Sam is still having headaches on and off. They seem to be in the sinus area and go away with aspirin, which I hope is a good sign.   We’ve had a good day off today for Veterans Day. Met Meredith and Kelly at SeaWorld after the hospital. They’d picked up Andy and tried to pick up Charlie but he screamed his head off and stayed with Elizabeth until Sam and I came and picked him up after the hospital. Sam was not up for going to SeaWorld at all, said he’s getting sick of it but then as usual he had a great time when he got there and has been having a good time with his brothers this afternoon.  Neil is coming back from a business trip in Omaha where he’s been for the past couple of days. Sam wants to celebrate, he loves any reason to celebrate.
Please think good thoughts for our friend Erik Ludwinski’s platelets to start coming up on their own:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/erikludwinski He just did his first round of MIBG and needs good platelet thoughts and prayers. Also please keep Sal Vanni in your prayers as the Vannis figure out the next step for him http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/salvatorevanni/guestbook  Jack Bartoz is having surgery tomorrow, please keep him in your prayers as well  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackbartosz and Patrick Chance is just finishing his first round of MIBG after having surgery last week https://www.carepages.com/carepages/PatrickChance
Margot
Topics: Progress Reports | 7 Comments »
November 12th, 2009 at 4:34 am
Yes, Margs, Sam is amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
November 12th, 2009 at 5:35 am
YAY for engraftment!!!!
Thanks for thinking of Erik. Don’t blood transfusions (due to hemolysis) raise LDH? Our team won’t do LDH for that reason. Those low catecholamines are wonderful—praying fervently for good news from scans and complete healing of Sam’s bladder. Love you guys!!!!!!!! BTW trying to figure out how you posted this tomorrow! 🙂
November 12th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Margot,
Horray for engraftment!!!! Sam knew of his awesomeness even when he was a little 4yr old 🙂
Praying as always here in Wa.
Love
Abra
November 12th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Great CATS!!!!! Love to see those numbers!!!
He may have a sinus infection…I am sure you are not crazy about putting him on an antibiotic, but it is worth asking the docs about it.
November 12th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Of course Sam’s awesome – it seems apparent that it comes from his mother (oh yeah, and you too, Neil). I love knowing that you, we, and the world have experienced a gazillion smiles and so many fun Sam moments since then. You’ve made so many well-informed and just great gut instinct decisions along the way – the stem cells are another example of that. Engraftment. A good word. I’m engrateful. Love, Lisa, Kirt, Mack, and G-Man
November 13th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Sam is amazing… as is his Mom and Dad and his two younger brothers ! You are awesome and big heroes to so many of us !
Thanks for sharing your ups and your downs !
Now keep the celebrations going and the good news rolling !
Hope Neil’s trip home went well and you were able to celebrate in
Sam Style !
Love and hugs,
the Kuhn’s
November 14th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Thanksgiving is early little buddy. I’m thankful for an awsome God who put the amazement in my little friend. And I’m celebrated right along with you. I love you.