- (Update from Lisa) Roger got two units of umbilical cord stem cells late in the day on June 16. The process, which was similar to a blood transfusion, took less than two hours. Just before the stem cell infusion, he had a heavy dose of Benedryl to control nausea, but the combination of Benedryl and the preservative Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), which prevents the stem cells from dying when they are frozen for storage, seemed to cause an unexpected reaction (spiking blood pressure, low heart rate, and a range of other challenges). The attending oncologist and nurse managed all of this as best as they could, but the process and long night that followed was rough on Roger. He’s feeling much better at this point (mid-day on Tuesday), but still pretty wobbly.
- The docs say they’ll focus their efforts in the days ahead on managing side-effects and quashing any infections that may develop before the stem cells engraft and start to build a new immune system.
- We’re so grateful for your notes of support and positive thoughts. Thank you for all of your help.