Around 8am, Nick was taken down to sedation where he was put completely under using a combination of versed, fentanyl, and pentobarbital. While asleep, a central line was inserted into his jugular vein. This central line contained 2 ports which would be used later during the apheresis procedure.
Once the line was put in, Nick was taken to the apheresis room where he was hooked up to a special machine through the 2 ports I previously mentioned. The basic premise is that Nick's blood would flow through this machine, into a centrifuge which would separate out Red Blood Cells on the bottom, Plasma in the middle, and then T-Cells and Stem Cells on the top. This "top layer" would be siphoned off into a separate container and the plasma and RBC's would be returned back to Nick. This continuous process went on for about 4 hours before they collected a sufficient volume of cells. The material removed was sent to the lab for further fractionation to separate only the stem cells, the goal being 10 to 12 million.
The first harvest yielded 6.8MM cells, so we will be back at it again tomorrow. Thankfully, the central line is still intact, so we only need to go through the collection process. If all goes well, and they collect the necessary amount tomorrow, Nick will have the Central Line removed on Wednesday and if that goes well, we should be coming home on Thanksgiving Day (never more appropriately named)!
Nick is literally counting down the hours until he can come home. The 6 hour pass this weekend has motivated him to do whatever he can to get back home. The boost to his overall mental well being will be tremendous once he can get out of here for a while. This is going to be a long road for all of us with many ups and downs. Nick has ave already made it through the first leg of his journey and we are looking forward to a little R&R before he has to gear up for the next one.
6 comments:
Dave,
Lisa Matthaus sent me the link to your blog. I can't imagine that there is a family doing a better job handling all that has been thrown your way. I will continue to think about you and your family.
Jo Evans Potvin
McGill '87
Every morning when I type nicholasfight into my browser, I have to pause as I try to get my head around the fight that Nick is waging. It is staggering. And yet he keeps pushing through one challenge after another. We are praying that today is a win and yields another 6M "Nick Packages" and that he is on his way home soon for the most meaningful Thanksgiving holiday ever.
Chris, Ruth and Sara
We know too well the feeling of watching your child being put through medical procedures you would so much rather you could undergo for him...but what a blessing to live close enough to a hospital the caliber of Children's of Philadelphia. Everything Nick is pushing through is toward the goal of getting Better, and they have so many tools less-advanced facilities just don't have. Even though it's a bummer their innovation might mean a few more pokes. :-(
We'll be praying for the best results at every turn for you over the next few days!
Sharon, Dave, Alex & Rachel
It is wonderful to read about Nick's progress. He certainly seems to be making great strides. We are hoping, along with you, that everything goes well and that Nick will be home on Thursday. We will be saying that extra prayer for all of you at our Thanksgiving dinner.
The Boeggemans
Just wanted to let you know that Nicholas is still in our thoughts and prayers. We hope that Nick continues to fight through this and stays strong both mentally and physically. Wishing your family an enoyable and relaxing holiday weekend with Nick at home.
Happy Thanksgiving!! Dina, Chuck, Stephen and Andrew Asmann
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