[Ryan Jay]

Hey there,

First day is rough for everyone. Things should smooth out a little bit towards the end of the infusions. Remember, he is going to be cranky, tired and feel really weird. I remember how ridiculously photophobic I was in the weeks after treatment. I couldn't stand the sun light at all.

Make sure you ask him how he is feeling. The nurses have a few tricks in their bag to ease his reaction...most notably slowing down the infusion.

Also, expect his numbers to do all kinds of whacky things. His whites may drop drastically, then pop up to some ridiculously high number again. I needed more transfusions in the weeks following ATG than I did before the treatment. Everything started to kick back on line in late October and I had the treatment in early August of 2010. I'm telling you, those were the longest 2 1/2 months of my life.

What is the approach they are taking with Cyclosporine? My hematologist hit me hard with high Cyclosporine doses during ATG...but I'm a big guy too.

Well, keep us updated. Our fingers are crossed.