Jon's stem cell transplant was rough, and after 21 days in the hospital, he was discharged in early December. After the new year in 2007, radiation began, which came with its own complications. He developed a severe case of shingles which required hospitalization. After completing radiation, he had a scan that showed his Hodgkins Lymphoma was gone! We were overjoyed! There was something else on the scan that needed a biopsy, but the doctors weren't concerned. That “something else” turned out to be Non Hodgkin's-Lymphoma, and some of this new cancer was in his lungs. He had to start treatments right away, and there was talk of a possible second stem cell transplant. We left the doctor's office devastated once again.
Jon proceeded with more chemotherapy treatments over the next few months, but his cancer did not respond well, and he needed a second stem cell transplant. The Non Hodgkin's-Lymphoma was still in his left lung, so the doctors decided the best coarse of action was to remove half of that lung to give him the best chance of success with his stem cell transplant. The surgery was challenging, and the doctor had to take more of his lung than was planned. Recovery was slow, as his body was so worn down, but eventually he came home.
The 2nd stem cell transplant took place in February of 2008. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks again, and once discharged had many appointments before things slowed down in May. I watched my husband start to heal. His hair and whiskers started growing back, his energy returned, and he was feeling good. Over that summer, we had to say goodbye to his Mom, who passed away from complications with leukemia.
Just after Christmas, Jon had a brief hospital stay due to a nagging cough that was diagnosed as double pneumonia and treated with antibiotics. He was discharged after several days, but over the next few months, Jon became weaker, and his cough got worse. He lost weight at an alarming rate – plummeting from 250 pounds to 169 pounds on his 6'4” frame. He lost much of his stamina and strength. He started having trouble with his eyes, which felt like they constantly had sand in them. His skin peeled like he had a sunburn after a reaction to the antibiotics. His breathing became more labored, and he eventually ended up on oxygen. He got so weak that I had to help him with most of his daily tasks, and he could no longer work. The doctors were confused. His scans were coming back clear, so it didn't seem to be cancer. They did several procedures to try to figure it out, but none of them gave needed results. They convinced Jon to try one more procedure.
Part 3 coming soon.....
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