My Bone Marrow Transplant: Day 12

LOCATION: Vanderbilt University Hospital - Stem Cell Unit
DATE: 8.26.12    DAY: 12
MOOD:   Very mellow and subdued.
MENTAL STATE:  Fuzzy and disoriented
PHYSICAL STATE:  In a haze from all the pain medications from the night before.

Started the morning early with a chest x-ray in bed.  A technician wheeled in a portable x-ray machine, had me lay on the film, and aimed a camera over my chest to take the x-ray.   The whole process took about 5 minutes, but with my head still aching it was a very long five minutes.

Woke up around 4:30a to get my nightly weigh-in and vitals.  The nurse brought some night medications, one which was chew-able, and I had just chewed it up when my stomach revolted and I vomited up the few contents remaining in my stomach.  Once I settled back down in bed, I asked for more morphine as my head was still killing me.

The morning shift awoke me with news that I would need to receive blood so I was once again premedicated with steroids, Tylenol, and Benadryl.  Because of all the hardcore medicine for my headache and the pre meds for the blood, I was in a state of complete oblivion until about 2:00p.  I could not shake myself from the haze and kept falling asleep.

Early in the afternoon I noticed my body ached everywhere and it felt as though I had the flu.  My temperature rose a little to 99.3 and I hoped my fever would not return.  My husband was still in town and helped me walk a few minutes in the hall but my body truly ached and the last thing I wanted to do was move.

I was still not attempting food or water as the mucositis was still riled up.  My gum line was completely swollen and I had started to produce the white foam/spit again in my mouth.
Besides the fact that food would hurt to be chewed and swallowed, I could tell my gut was not in a "plays nice with others" kind of mood, so I didn't want to push it.

I headed for bed around 7:30p and noticed I didn't get the normal chills I usually have around that time of night.  The eighty degree room temperature and four blankets I had covering me I'm sure also helped.  I started cyclosporine a little earlier than usual but also took oxycodone for my headache. A small headache was brewing and I wasn't about to let it get out of control like the night before.

The evening passed relatively smoothly, no new fever, headache under control, and a good night's rest.