Day +33 - GVH Battle - 12/27/09

The view from Charles' window is wonderful much of the time. Here is Mt Hood looking magnificant. Some say a champion to be conquered.

Hello everyone. This is Charles' Dad, Don, making an update.

Charles has been battling Graft vs Host Disease (GVH) for the past 2½ weeks. The Drs tell us that he has a severe case. GVH attacks the skin, liver and guts, as the Drs say. It is his full intestinal tract - it is highly inflamed. What has happened is that the new bone marrow cells have taken root and are producing - creating a new immune system for Charles. The new immune system "sees" Charles body as foreign and attacks. To take care of this the Drs give Charles anti rejection drugs and steriods. The steriods suppress the new immune system.
As a result when we visit Charles we see several notices on his room door. You will notice the red maple leaf. When I first saw this I thought it meant that Charles was Canadian. It made sense since Charles comes from two generations of Canadians - his Dad and Grandma Garrett. But, alas, to be educated - it has to do with leaves falling and means that this patient needs assistance while standing to avoid falling. "Patient is NPO" - I didn't have a clue. Turns out it is Latin - Nil Per Os and being translated means "Nothing through the mouth." Because of his raw intestines and general situation, he has become weak. He has been on nutrition thru an IV for close to two weeks. Yesterday he took a pill orally with a spoon of applesauce. His antirejection drug has also given him a slight tremor.

The other signs on the door are the things that need to be done by everyone entering and leaving his room to control the spread of disease - bacteria, virus & fungus - the big three enemies when your immune system is down. It is hard to read the sign but it has to do with masks, gowns, gloves and cleaning your hands both entering and leaving.

We had a visit with Charles' Dr, the one that makes the rounds each morning, Saturday morning. Dr Chan, wanted to visit with us about Charles' situation. He noted some improvement but also noted that Charles condition is serious. They had been giving him steriods to lower his immune system to help with GVH, as mentioned, and now the immune system was low enough that he was very susceptible to disease. So, beginning Sunday they were going to lower his dosage of steriod. It is the best of the two things to do. Hopfully this will be an improvement for Charles.

Today when we visited Charles had a little twinkle in his eye and that little laugh and sense of humor that we all enjoy in him - a good sign. Through this all Charles has been patient and enduring, never complaining. He feels the strength from his family, girlfriend, Karlin, and many dear friends.
The past few days he has spent much of this time sitting in a chair wrapped in his snuggy and Batman blanket. This evening as he retired he was wearing a cap that Karlin had knit for him. His nurses are "jewels" taking care of him and pressing him to do things to keep in shape. They are wonderfully patient, kind, caring and informing. Charles is in a very good place!

We thank our family and friends for your love, faith and prayers. We feel your love and support! Don