Day 88:

Bad days just start out bad and get worse.  At about 6:30 AM,  Boone's ostomy bag burst.  It having the same consistency of water, went everywhere.  Linens had to be ripped off the bed and the plastic bed liner washed.  Boone had to be put in the shower.  I scrubbed him from head to toe, dried him off and got clean clothes on him.  Others were cleaning the floor, the rails, everything in range.

Today it was Dr. B. making rounds. The one I called an ass sometime back.  I've grown to appreciate him.  He is obviously brilliant and I guess they told him I called him an ass because he is very nice and attentive to me now.

Anyway Dr. B. came in and informed Boone that it is definately Graft vs Host Disease (GVHD) in his gut and in his lungs.  They are still culturing the gram negative bacteria they found in his lungs.

I had just been reading about GVHD and asked Dr. B. what grade it was.  His head whipped around, with that -you know about the grades???  He hesitated a second and said grade 3, then I guess he figured if I knew about the grades, I might know better.  Then he said grade IV.  From what I had read, that was my opinion.  Grade IV GVHD is bad, really bad, and to have it in two areas is almost always fatal.

Dr. B. told us exactly what I had read, that there are 3 protocols for GVHD.  The first is steroids, the second some unpronounceable drugs, and the third, another form of chemo.  Boone had already had the first two protocols.  If the third one doesn't work, then it's likely he would not survive.

Boone had lost six pounds from the fluid his guts were pumping out.  Even with IVs going 24 hours a day of saline and food and liquid drugs, output was much greater than input.  Classic GVHD.

Boone was begging for anything to eat or drink.  He's still NPO.  Anything swallowed will just inflame his gut and worsen the situation.  He's allowed to chew ice, but has to spit out the water.  He was very grateful to be trusted to spit.

After Dr. B. left the room, I chased him down the hall.

"OK, y'all always want to know a happy face number, so tell me, where on your happy face scale is Boone?"  Dr. B. got a very puzzled look on his face, and said "A frown."

"No, I mean is he a 6 or a 7?"   Dr. B. looked me straight in the eyes, hesitated, and said "No, he's an 8 or a 9."  Dr. B. squeezed my upper arm and gave me the I'm very sorry look.  I was stunned.  I guess I knew it had to be bad, but the docs always soft peddle everything.  He said we will know in a week or two how it will turn out.

I started notifying relatives and friends that Boone had taken a turn for the worse.   That night they put him on protocol number three.  A giant bag of stuff wrapped in a chemo protective bag.

Day 89.

Dr. B. was again on patrol.  When he walked in the room he was smiling.  It appears protocol three has helped.  Boone's O2 levels have risen, even with the gas flow being turned down from a 6 to a 3.  He's now holding his O2 in the high 90s.  His white count jumped to 3.1 his neutrophil count is over 1000.

His reward?

One grape Popsicle per day.  So sayeth Dr. B., so let it be done.

Thank you Dr. B.

Boone is very grateful..