Day 20 June 24, 2009

Cody had a good night of sleep. He did get platelets early this morning and then a blood transfusion. His potassium is high so we did an EKG this morning just to make sure his heart is ok. It can sometimes be affected from this. Thank goodness it was ok.

The fevers have stopped but the rash has us concerned. It could be the graft vs host disease which means some issues going on with his cells. There is meds to treat this and we will know after the biopsy results come back Monday or Tuesday. It is sort of premature for this and he tested positive for a virus too. Everything can be treated so we are not alarmed about anything as of yet. We have to wait a few more days.

Cody felt kinda down today. He is still emotional and little things seem like a big deal to him. He stayed up a good part of the day and is going to bed now.

I cannot wait to have this behind us.

Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) - a frequent complication of allogeneic bone marrow transplant in which the engrafted donor cells attacks the patient's organs and tissue. GVHD tends to be more severe in patients receiving mismatched transplants from family member or unrelated donors.

GVHD is two diseases: acute GVHD and chronic GVHD. "Patients may develop one, both or neither. Acute and chronic GVHD differ in their symptoms, clinical signs and time of onset." ~

Acute GVHD usually occurs during the first three months following an allogeneic BMT. "T-cells present in the donor's bone marrow at the time of transplant identify the BMT patient as "non-self' and attack the patient's skin, liver, stomach, and/or intestines. The earliest sign of acute GVHD is often a skin rash that usually first appears on the patient's hands and feet." medicalistes.org

Chronic GVHD usually develops after the third month post-transplant. "Scientists believe that new T-cells produced after the donor's bone marrow has engrafted in the patient may cause chronic GVHD. Most patients with chronic GVHD experience skin problems that may include a dry itching rash, a change in skin color, and tautness or tightening of the skin. Partial hair loss or premature graying may also occur."