When we walked into the hospital we just took David in like any other parent would take their child into a doctors office. We soon learned that David should have been in isolation and needed to wear a mask when he was outside and with other people. This was a whole new world for us and we had a lot to learn. During this visit we had blood taken from all three of us.....and genetic studies were conducted to determine where this genetic disease began.
David was admitted into the hospital within the week and began chemo therapy. Before chemo they inserted two pic lines that when into a vein through his chest and into his heart. This would allow for blood removal and allow for IV's to be administered without sticking him.
After much testing and research it was determined that David would need my bone marrow for the transplant. At this time they would do HLA typing and usually there are 6 types. I was almost a perfect match with a 5 out of 6 match. Dave, my husband, and I share two characteristics and this was the gene that was inherited by David. This was one of many circumstances that God had planned for our lives and proved to us his everlasting guidance and plan for our lives.
David needed to begin chemo therapy to wipe out any immune system that he did have. This was necessary because the bone marrow doesn't just grow our immune system but also red blood cells, platelets, and other life saving cells. This was the reason behind the chemo therepy.
I want to take the time to explain the whole process that we needed to go through each day, David was in a small room with one wall having a hepa filter...the other three walls are windows. There is no door so that the filter could draw in air and filter it out again. The room could just fit a bed and a night stand....that is it! Since David was in a crib we had room for a rocking chair for me to sit use. The sheets were disposable and were changed twice a day. He needed to have his skin serialized twice a day with special soap. Anyone entering his room needed to have full isolation gown, cap, booties, mask, and gloves. The mask needed to be changed every thirty minutes....and when you leave the room....so that you can change the mask....you need to strip off the isolation garb, wash your hands, and redress again, I only mention this because later in our story things would be different.
Throughout the whole process David was only in the hospital for 6 weeks....this was a very short time compared with other children. David also never got an infection or sick during this whole time! This was amazing because usually patients would get very sick during this time that he didn't have an immune system. David was sent home around July 20th this is just a month short of his transplant date which was very early in normal circumstances....but God's hand had been on David and his perfect will was being done. David was our miracle and God's loving hand of protection was very evident. His time home would be short lived....
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