Day +16

Well fevers started a few days ago.  The culture is growing something so they know she has something but they don't know what it is yet. Michalla is on oxygen. Without it she can't breathe.  She is also shaking  a lot.  She is peeing blood and her eyes are yellow because she is having liver problems.  She is also really puffy and swollen because she is retaining water.  That is what they think is wrong with the lungs and why she needs the oxygen (water in the lungs).  She still can't eat or even swallow. It is a daily (all day long) battle to get the pills that can't be given in IV form down her. It is hard to see because I feel so helpless.  There is so little I can do rather than try to comfort her.  As a mom, you want to take it all a way or find a way to make it better but I can't. 

That's the bad news.  The good news is yesterday she actually had an ANC of 100 and today it didn't drop so it is still at 100. That is a sign that engraftment is on its way.  When you have an anc of 500 for two days in a row it is considered that you have engrafted.  We may hang out at 100 for a while before it moves again but any counts help. It should keep the mouth and G.I. tract lining from getting any worse and maybe even help it heal just a little.

After we engraft we will see what kind of graft vs. host systems we have to deal with. Hopefully just enough to make the transplant solid but not too much that Michalla can't recover and go home.