[DebS]

Hello,

As most of you know, Doug is going into Loyola on Sept. 30 for his conditioning and then the new birthday, Day 0 is October 8. I know you are all thinking good thoughts and wishing us luck.

I wanted to share a couple of tips with everyone. Some practical things you don't find out until the last minute. For example, they asked that Doug have slippers and gym shoes that are a size or two larger because his feet will really swell. I had already purchased these and was lucky to be able to exchange them for larger ones. Who knew???

The other thing that really worked out for us was about books. Doug is an avid reader and with books costing what they do, he buys a lot of them used at garage sales, libraries, Goodwill, etc. I can't tell you the look on the nurse's face when he asked if he could bring in his well used books!!!!! Anyway, our niece bought him an e reader so it will be easier on his eyes and she was able to download all of his books. Boom--two boxes eliminated! Then I bought him a tablet so he can watch movies from Netflix on streaming--another box eliminated! The other good thing about these two devices is that they can be wiped down with antibacterial wipes. I understand that these two solutions are a bit costly, but I think they will be worth it in the long run.

Meanwhile, we are spending a lot of our time at the hospital for platelets. His are now tanking to 2 or 3! That has been scary. But he gets a decent bump after the transfusions. They don't last long however. His blood tests will be increased to two a week to keep this in better check.

Deb