Day -8: Back in Birmingham

Dad and I woke up to a rainy, cloudy morning. Somewhat fitting for the beginning of our long stint in Birmingham, but we are trying to keep smiles on our lips.

Dad and I at Rail Road Park

After gobbling down some delicious egg and cheese biscuits at the hospital cafeteria, we arrived at the BMTU punctually at 8am for Dad's second treatment with Busulfan. Things happened fast today! Dad's nurse (Kathy) quickly recorded his weight (147 lbs...still chubby!) and vital signs, and then started the "pre"-chemotherapy treatment, which included Zofran (to prevent nausea) and IV fluids (to keep Dad and his kidneys well-hydrated). About half an hour later they started the Busulfan, which ran over three hours. Today Dad got about three times the dose that he got last Monday. That means that he may experience about three times the intensity of symptoms that he felt on Monday. 

Although the Busulfan had been completely given by noon, for the rest of the day Kathy periodically measured blood levels. Dad's medical team will use today's levels to make sure that he is receiving the correct dose of the drug. Recall that part of the study that Dad is enrolled in involves measuring the rate that Dad metabolizes Busulfan. Dad's last level was taken at 5pm, and then we were free to go for the day!

We made a beeline for a Chinese restaurant near the hospital, where Dad quite outdid himself. His appetite is still doing well as of this post! Then we went and walked around in the nearby Rail Road Park for a little while before retiring to the Hope Lodge. Dad and I closed out the day by watching a movie about Lewis and Clark, after Dad fixed the DVD/VCR player! That's why it's good to have an engineer around I suppose.