Back
5.07.08
We received the news Saturday morning that Jim’s leukemia is back at 20% now (that is up from the 5% he had just a couple of weeks ago)…so obviously the Vidasia chemo has not done anything and is not strong enough to kill the blast cells. Dr. Holland suggested that we break out the big guns again do another round of FLAG chemo, which is the same induction chemotherapy he received when he was first diagnosed and is obviously the very potent stuff. That regiment goes Mon-Fri and he is starting that today. We will most likely be in the hospital thru next week as the side effects from the chemo will start showing up towards the end of this week into next week (fevers, mouth sores, not being able to eat and swallow, vomiting etc). The goal is to obviously get him back at 0% leukemia cells in order to give him more donor cells again. Providing that will happen, they are not going to give any immune suppressing drugs this time, to try to fully induce GVHD. It is crucial that he get a little bit of this in order for his new immune system to fully take over; so it knows to attack the leukemia cells. However, if the GVHD is not controlled, it could be just as deadly as the leukemia itself…
4.29.08
Unfortunately, Jim is in the hospital because of shingles. They are similar to chicken pox but unbearably painful. He most likely got them because his counts are so low. He has them on the left side of his face and on his mouth and tongue. He is getting a port put back in so they can give him the medicine he needs more easily. Doctors expect the shingles to go away in a week.
4.06.08
Jim and Sera were just about to go back to Ohio, and found out that unfortunately Jim's Leukemia returned, it's currently at 5% now. So, Jim will have to get chemotherapy again and more of the bone marrow transplant. This is a discouraging set back, but his Leukemia has responded well to the chemo so far. We just need it to go away for good now. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
2.21.08
Jim had his “day 60” bone marrow biopsy done this past Tuesday and the results show that he is still leukemia free! His donor cells are still at 100% and the chromosome abnormality that he used to have is still gone!!
His platelets are still somewhat low at 44k, but the doctor said that all of his other counts were still respectable and that hopefully it was just the platelets fluctuating, which is normal for them to do after transplant. Thanks Sera for the update!
1.23.08
Wonderful news to report. The following is from Sera:
Today is day 40 (post-transplant) and the results from the day 30 bone marrow biopsy show that Jim’s marrow is clear of leukemia! Also, before the transplant there was an abnormality in one of his chromosomes that caused the blast cells to multiply and now he has tested negative for having that abnormality. And the best news is that he has 100% donor cells now! The doctors were not expecting him to have 100% donor cells yet (that usually happens around day 60), so I guess we surprised them! (We are just over-achievers like that! ) As you can imagine, we are so happy to get such wonderful news and are praising God for His healing and continuous blessings!
We are now going every other day to clinic for about 4-5 hours a day so that has been especially nice to have a day off here and there. Jim is still very weak and exhausted but is eating a little more and has color in his face again. His counts keep coming up on their own so his new immune system is no doubt working and working very hard at that!
1.10.08
Sorry for my lack of updates. Just been busy around the holidays. A lot has happened with Jim in the meantime. Most of the text is from Sera, thank you Sera!
After battling fevers and mouth sores for a week and a half at the hospital, Jim was discharged.
They have been told to watch for Graph vs. Host disease which is when the two immune systems battle it out (so to speak), and they want him to catch a little, but not too much! It usually affects the GI tract and can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea so hopefully Jim will get a very mild case of that!
He has swollen feet and ankles and has neuropathy in his feet and fingers and is extremely weak and tired, but overall is doing great!
On a sadder note, Jim and Sera found out Peanut, their dog, has cancer too. A form of lymphoma. The vet has given Peanut 6-12 months to live and put him on medication. So please pray for him too.
Jim’s getting a biopsy done now and had a CT two days ago….the CT looked great and his counts keep going up, so we are definitely moving in the right direction! I think they are going to check the %’s w/this biopsy….what % is donor cells vs his cells. They don’t expect it to be at 100%, it’s too soon for that, but maybe like 50-75% donor cells? They moved him down to one bag of fluid everyday instead of two, so that cuts a little time off of each day…
12.07.07
Big news of course! Jim did successfully undergo his bone marrow transplant on Thursday. It was anti-climatic, I think is the word everyone was using. The procedure itself is just a 15 minute infusion. The donor marrow came from Europe, that's all we know.
It's really amazing, it went from someone in Europe to Jim receiving it all within 48 hours. We (I) keep waiting for Jim to talk with an accent, but it hasn't happened yet.
They tell almost everyone that he will probably be readmitted within a week, for fevers, or something else, because most new donors do get sick. We will keep everyone posted though.
I would also like to express my deepest sympathies to Donna (Bob's wife) and Bella (Bob's Daughter). Bob (a friend of Jim and Sera's that was fighting Leukemia) passed away last Wednesday. Please send your positive thoughts and prayers their way while you are thinking of Jim.
Peace and love to everyone this holiday season.
11.26.07
Jim's transplant date has been moved to Dec. 13th. Please keep Jim in your thoughts!
11.21.07
The results from his CT scan that he had on Wed showed much improvement in his lungs, there is still some pneumonia there, but it is considerably better. On Tuesday he had a lumbar puncture where they take fluid out from your spine and inject chemo into the spinal column to ensure that the disease is not in the spine and/or brain. It looks like the "official" date of transplant will be December 6th (Sera's Birthday!) providing that that timing will work for the donor. For five days prior to the transplant, he will receive another regiment of out-patient high-dose chemotherapy and then will be hospitalized for the transplant itself. Providing he does not have any reactions, or fevers, they will let him go "home" that same day.
11.09.07
Jim had another bone marrow biopsy this past Tues and we got the news that he is still leukemia free! He has 0% leukemia cells but only has 10% bone marrow left. The doctor calls it “empty”, but I guess empty is good considering everything. So now he is getting neupogen shots daily to bump up his white blood cell count to keep fighting the pneumonia.
10.15.07
Jim had a bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday this past week and we got the news yesterday that there are now 0% leukemia cells present! They are hoping to get an exact date for the transplant soon. There are a lot of factor's involved, including his pneumonia, so the date has been a moving target so far.
10.02.07
Jim and Sera received word that the bone marrow transplant will more than likely be either Nov 9th or 10th. We will keep thinking positive thoughts!
09.17.07
Jim still has 1% leukemia blast cells hanging around, so he will start another chemo regiment on Monday that will go for seven days. Luckily, he will not have to be hospitalized for that treatment; we will able to do it outpatient at the clinic. The CT he had yesterday showed improvement in the lungs, they are still unsure as to exactly what it is, but are saying it appears to be fungal pneumonia and are treating him accordingly.
08.13.07
On 7/27, Jim and Sera got the news that the leukemia came back and it looked just like it did back in Dec. Since then, they temporarily moved back to Atlanta for treatment, which he has finished the 5 days of induction chemo. Another bone marrow biopsy will be done next wk to see if the leukemia is in remission. Providing that it is, he will then go immediately to transplant. There are three non-related donors available, all of which are 10 out of 10 matches. Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers and know that they are so grateful for all the support! If you are able, please make donations as they will be traveling back and forth everyday to clinic and need money for transportation, food, and prescriptions.
07.06.07
Jim's last PET scan showed some activity (meaning the cancer is still there) but the chemo in Jim is still breaking down the cancer, which is very good. He will be getting another bone marrow biopsy soon to check the Leukemia level, hopefully it is still in remission. The cost of the medication is still very high and Jim is constantly running out, and having to wait until they have money on hand before they can get a refill. Please consider donating or having a fundraiser event in your area.
05.07.07
Doughty Garage Sale Benefit!
Fri. May 18th & Sat. May 19th
401 South Main St.
Antwerp OH, 45813
Jim and Sera are doing great! However, the glyco-nutrient plan Jim is on is very expensive.
Please make donations or donate items to Jim and Sera.
03.31.07
Jim and Sera went back home to Ohio. We miss them and wish them the best. Jim is on a glyco-nutrient program now, instead of chemo. It's very expensive and not covered by insurance, so it's time to have more fundraisers. If you have any ideas for a fundraiser, or are going to have one, please let me know and I will post it here!
03.12.07
Jim has recently decided not to have the bone marrow transplant. He is certainly not giving up, but the transplant started to look more and more like a bad idea percentage-wise. Jim will most likely finish his treatment here, and him and Sera will return to Ohio soon, where they will have routine check-ups to monitor any activity. Please focus your thoughts and prayers that the cancers stay gone and that Jim's immune system continues to improve.
03.06.07
Sorry for the lack of updates, but there has not been much to report as of yet. Even though Jim is doing much better, it looks like Jim and Sera have an incredibly difficult decision between two risky options. One, is getting the bone marrow transplant to make sure his leukemia never comes back. The downside is that there are a lot of life-threatening problems that may arise as a result of the transplant. The other option is to not have a bone marrow transplant, and hope the leukemia does not come back. If it does come back, the doctors say it will be 10 times more aggressive than the leukemia he just overcame. Jim's gut feeling is to not get the bone marrow transplant. While Jim's instincts have been right so far, and I am a firm believer in trusting them, please pray that whatever option they choose is the right one.
02.15.07
Impossible to believe, but a doctor and nurse have told Jim and Sera that Jim no longer has that tennis ball sized mass by his heart, it's completely gone. That means there is nothing for them to radiate. It's nothing short of a miracle, but it's still too early to celebrate. Jim still has to get 1 week of a lower dose of chemo on an out-patient basis. More importantly, he still must have a bone marrow transplant once his pneumonia is gone. The good news about the transplant is that the hospital found a donor that matches 10/10 requirements, which is pretty rare. But the pneumonia and bone marrow transplant are both critical. I feel in my gut that Jim's luck has changed for the better, and if anyone can beat this, Jim can. Thanks again to everyone for their prayers, positive thoughts, healing, and donations. It's obviously made an impact.
02.08.07
Jim found out last night that the 2nd bone marrow biopsy tested negative. This is wonderful news! His counts continue to go up and the doctors are talking about giving him radiation for the Hodgkin's. It's incredible to see the outpouring of support from people, it's incredible to see Jim and Sera's strength.
02.01.07
Jim continues to improve. His counts are steadily increasing, he's doing very well on his breathing tests. He'll soon be tested to see if he is still clear of the leukemia. Hopefully the pneumonia will be gone soon.
01.29.07
Just talked to Sera, and Jim is getting released from the hospital today! Apparently his counts are way up, and his doctors feel he is well enough to go home. He'll be staying with us indefinitely and going to the doctor everyday, but I know he's excited about being a free man again. Too early to know when they will be back in Ohio, but I know they miss everyone there.
01.28.07
A big "thank you" to Doug & Christy for hosting the benefit dinner last night and especially to all the people that came out to donate, show their support and have a good time. I will post a list of donors shortly.
If you are out in L.A., Jim Nall and his roommates are hosting the 2nd Annual Video Screening Event tonight at 8PM. They will be dedicating it to Jim Doughty and collecting donations for the foundation.
01.25.07 - Part 2
Just talked to Jim, and got some good news. His pneumonia appears to be bacteria-based and non-fungal. Fungal pneumonia is much more difficult to treat.
01.25.07 - Part 1 (revised)
The latest news is that Jim's leukemia is clear of any leukemia cells. The catch is that blast cells can reset as either cancerous or non-cancerous. This is great news, but his pneumonia is still a life-threatening, primary concern. If you are a friend or family member that can get special clearance to visit Jim, please wear a surgical mask to limit Jim's exposure to germs, bacteria, viruses, etc. If you are sick, please do not visit for Jim's safety.
01.23.07
A bit of tough news from Sera. Apparently Jim does have pneumonia, which is very serious, especially since he has no immune system. The doctor has also made a rule that only family members may visit, to limit Jim's exposure to germs, bacteria, viruses, etc.
01.18.07
Some other good news. We've gotten word that there might be a handful of potential bone marrow donors for Jim. The more the better, obviously.
01.17.07
Jim is still running a fever off and on. The good news is what showed up on the x-ray as pneumonia, is most likely a bacteria instead. Still no official word yet. Jim still has his great sense of humor during visits.
01.15.07
Jim found out on Friday night that he has pneumonia in one of his lungs. Due to Jim's pneumonia and lack of an immune system right now, the hospital has asked Sera to keep visitors to family and very close friends only. Thanks to everyone for their understanding.
01.08.07
Jim has been running a fever of around 101 for the last week. We are hoping he breaks the fever soon, as this will be one less thing to have to worry about.
12.28.06
We took Jim out for one last dinner last night before he had to start eating hospital food.
Jim entered the hospital this morning. Our thoughts and love are with him.
|
