Day +177 GVHD is back

Again, this post only makes sense if you have read the previous two...

Yesterday afternoon Netty from the BMT office rang with the histology results of Jesse's biopsy, he has GVHD all through his gut. Derek and I were devastated, we had both been hoping that Jesse's problems were due to a virus...the treatment would have been to decrease the immunosuppressants and then his lymphocytes would have risen and we could start to contemplate some kind of normal life...

BUT in fact they found GVHD. I haven't seen the report yet and the consultant was too busy to talk to me. The treatment is to put Jesse back on a high dose of steroids (1mg per kilo, which means 16mg a day), when he had completely stopped. After two weeks they will start to decrease it. Of course it does explain all the vomiting, lack of appetite etc. After yesterday's dose Jesse ate a whole bowl of spaghetti and cheese followed by strawberries and ice cream! His first proper meal in weeks.

That is definitely a plus, but there are lots of negatives too...mood swings, big cheeks, damage to bones, he won't grow and worst of all...no lymphocytes so the isolation will continue. School in September is out for certain and viruses will be even more dangerous to him. I'll keep the blog updated as we hear more,
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