Owl Sweater Progress

I'm on the home stretch for finishing the sweater.

First owl pattern is done. I've decided to make a second row before I end the neck.

I want to sew some pearls or beads for eyes. Which one look good to you?

Old Beady Eyes!

Day 16 Post Transplant: Waiting for “Engraph”….

After all this waiting, one might ask what are you waiting for? We are all waiting for “Engraphment”. This is when the donor stem cells migrate to the bone marrow and start to produce red, white and platelet cells in the body. This happens around 2 to 4 weeks.

I was talking to W’s nurse and she shared that in most transplants this happens from the 25 to 40 days after transplant. There is a great website explaining this at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/bone-marrow-transplant

Right now Ws blood and platelet cell count is very, very, low. This is the time where preventing infection is critical, since he has practically no immune system to combat it. He is given blood and platelet transfusion periodically. On the outward side he is doing well. He is still getting up to walk around his room and sitting up in a chair for several hours. His mind is sharp enough to joke around with the nurses and his family and doing Soduku puzzles. We have always called him Mr Pun Man. He is a master using word puns. The Recreation Therapist taught him a card game called Kings Corner. It’s a fun solitaire game with two people. He taught me today, and I got lucky winning both games we played. Tomorrow we are going to learn a game called Traps and Treasures.

The inside of W is another story. Lab results are starting to show some slight changes in his heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. Doctors are monitoring this very carefully, as getting them to work together, eliminating the fluid in his body, is becoming a challenge. The major culprit is his heart and history of heart failure (CHF). We knew, if anything, this might be the kink in the chain of risks coming into this process. We need to be praying for this right now. The heart needs to pump effectively to prevent the other vital organs from being affected.

The doctors are pleased at what they see on the outside, as they say, and if they can get the heart working well with medication, all should be OK. I have to say, it is a pleasure to discuss W.’s condition with the City of Hope doctors. They really listen to family members. They give a significant amount of time listening and answering questions. I have never seen such dedicated MDs and nurses in my experience. This is saying a lot as W has been hospitalized in several hospitals and I have worked in others, although be it many years ago.

Knitting: I am still plugging away on the Red Owl Sweater. The Owls are half done. I will be doing the second cable soon. This is an ingenious pattern. As the weather starts to get warmer, it may be too hot to knit wool, so I am trying my hardest to finish this sweater/cardigan.

We've had unusually mild Spring this year in Southern California. I cherish the mild sunny days in May. Flowers are still blooming and my front planter is looking marvelous, especially since I hired a gardener. It makes me wonder why I didn't do this sooner. For over a year I have valiantly tried to care the the yards myself, when W didn't have the strength or energy because of his cancer. The gardener is worth every penny. Seeing the flowers and lawns look so nice just lifts my spirits to no end and I thank God for such a gift of beauty.

Post Transplant- Day 13: Hair today….gone tomorrow.

After coasting along without any serious side effects other than the usual fatigue, we have hit a more than minor snag. W has been experiencing fluctuation in his blood counts needing transfusions of blood and platelets. He is feeling more nauseated and believe it or not he is losing his hair. After several courses of chemo over the last year, he has never lost his hair until now. The nurse noticed it on his pillow. He would reach up to smooth his hair and end up with a handful. Fortunately, he doesn’t have much to lose. I keep telling him I will bring him one of my knit hats to keep warm, and that now he fits in with the rest of the patients on the ward, who already have shiny pates. We tease each other about this to keep his spirits up. The hardest thing is the nausea. This means he is not eating and it is possible the doctors will put him on IV nutrition to keep his blood sugar under control. He had been eating so well over the last 13 days that I thought he was looking rounder around the middle, perhaps even gaining weight. We are told that it takes longer for a cord blood transplant to start working well. Does this mean that W. will be in the hospital longer? Time will tell.


I’ve been working full-time days lately. After work I go see W. and then come home to catch up on some chores and emails. I think all this is taking its toll on my energy level. The stress at work right now is not helping. This week is Staff Appreciation week, but I can hardly enjoy it.


One thing I will have to share from work is what happened yesterday. One of my coworkers found out that yesterday was our new boss’s birthday, so we planned a surprise potluck. Everyone was to bring something. There were no plans for a gift so I decided to buy some flowers for her from the entire staff. Before she arrived I put them in her office. Unknowing to me, there were four other staff members who did the same after my contribution. Someone came to me and said, “Have you seen the boss’s office? It looks like a garden!”. Apparently 5 other coworkers had brought flowers too. She was definitely surprised!


Status on the Knit Red Owl Sweater….I’ve joined the sleeves and body. Had a little difficulty getting the amount of stitches correct for the Owl pattern, but now have started in on the Owl pattern for the yoke. There going to be a lot of owls. I hope it will look right with the decreases.