Day +8 Update

I apologize for not keeping you all up to date across the last week or so. The primary problem is that I just haven't really known what to say. Sarah has been very effective in translating the tone around here. Much better than I could do.

Since Gracie had her transplant, she's been really sick, really uncomfortable, and progressively doped up to control the discomfort. It has been very hard for Uncle Mack to witness, especially because this is all just part of the treatment process, and there is nothing - at all - that I can do to help. Noni and I have been trying to provide relief when and where we can - fetching things, keeping company, and anything that is needed. It's frustrating though. It's hard to watch Gracie struggle, and possibly even harder to watch my little sister struggling. :(

Today is Day +8. Yesterday when I left, Gracie seemed to be feeling a little better. The hospital staff seems to have her pain mostly under control. The side effect, of course, is that she's sleeping a good bit of the time. She wakes up every once in a while - sometimes happy, sometimes upset. The staff still has to wake her up all of the time, and she seems annoyed with them (or is that just me :) ).

They've officially started to give some of the labs and numbers back. These are the tests that tell us how well the graft is "taking," and whose cells are winning. How fast are the new cells growing etc... It's still too early for any detailed numbers, but at least we are starting to get some data back. We'll share with you as soon as we have something to share.

GROW! GROW! GROW! GROW!

Oh, I also learned that 7 (or 5, can't remember) of the staff on Unit 5-D are named Sarah. Ha!

One piece of good news I forgot to share before: Sarah and Jimmy got upgraded to a newer, more comfortable, an considerably larger suite at the Ronald McDonald House. Bye bye room 124, hello 444. :) It has 2 rooms and a bathroom. One room has a kitchenette, a small couch w/ a pullout bed, a small kitchen table, a rocking chair, and a TV. The other room has 2 queen size beds, 2 oversize bunk beds, a desk, and a TV. They also have enough closet and drawer space, which was probably the most irritating part of the previous room. If you are a neat-freak, you might have run out screaming because there were stacks of things everywhere. :)