Day +3 Hanging in there

We had our usual three hour clinic visit this morning. Doug has lost three pounds since yesterday. The doc basically said not to worry too much - they expect him to lose weight since he isn't eating much. They keep giving him lots of fluid every day - he got an extra bag today, and some calcium added to the IV line, since that value was low.

His blood counts are dropping, as expected. WBC is now 2.5, platelets 185. (He won't be officially neutropenic until the absolute neutrophil count is below 500.) The chemo has destroyed Doug's bone marrow, so there are no new blood cells being made; the counts drop as the mature cells that are still circulating die off. The immature stem cells that were infused on Day 0 have not yet started to work; it will be another ten days or so until they "engraft" in the marrow and learn to become the different kinds of blood cells.

We are told that when we arrive at the clinic from now on, to go right away to our assigned room, not to wait in the waiting room. Doug does not have to wear a mask; the nurse said that a mask doesn't really help much -- better to just stay away from people. We are both washing our hands a lot.

The doc said that he thinks Doug is "two or three days" away from really low counts. He also said that on the physical exam he could see "chemo changes" in Doug's mouth, although Doug isn't feeling it yet.
Doug says that he feels "weak and crappy". But his attitude is strong.

This journey won't be easy, we both know that. But what keeps us strong is two things.
One is the excellent care Doug is getting from the doctors and nurses. They monitor him so closely and know how to support the body during all this. They are all so calm, competent, caring and cheerful that we take a lot of comfort. All their explanations are helpful so that at least we know what to expect.

The other thing is the prayers, love and support we feel from all of you. We pray for strength and we know that God is walking this path with us. I pray that God keeps me healthy and gives me endurance so that I can take care of Doug. I also pray that his attitude can remain positive in the upcoming days.
I was reading Psalm 37 this morning and verses 23 and 24 spoke to me:
"The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand."