The doctors and pharmacists have decided to change up the treatment a little bit. The main change is that, instead of going with the equine-based ATG(Atgam), they will use a rabbit-based ATG serum(Thymoglobulin). The Thymoglobulin is less reactive than the Atgam, and still works the same for the purposes they need for Andrew. The only two drawbacks, and they are minor, are that the Thymoglobulin treatment takes 5 days instead of 4, and the Thymoglobulin is more expensive. Since the majority of people don't have a significant reaction to Atgam, they use it first.
Since it is probably too late in the day to start a treatment, we are pushing back the start of treatment(again) until tomorrow morning. As an extra precaution, they are giving Andrew an extra steroid treatment, as well as some other antiobiotics. The Thymoglobulin treatment should start around 9 or 10 AM, and last for 6 hours.
I know that this process may sound frustrating to everyone reading this, but the doctors have been reacting well to changes in Andrew's condition, and changing the plans accordingly. Yesterday, one of the nurses told us that there were so many orders put in and then cancelled in his file that she wanted to verify things with the doctors directly now. Issues have come up, like previously unknown surgical tape allergies, the periodic fevers, and the reaction to Atgam, and the medical staff has taken precautions to deal with each of them. We are still confident in their abilities and in the process, even though the changes have been frustrating at times.
Also, if you ever have any questions regarding this process, feel free to write them in the comments section, and we will try to answer them. Sometimes you maybe stumble on something we completely overlooked.
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3 comments:
Hey! Myron said rabbit sounds great! Andrew will be a great jumper when he plays basketball for Living Word. We love you all. Prayers are continually with you all. Myron and Sandy
Erin, is there a blood type that will be the "best" match for Andrew for Marrow?
While it ideal to have the same blood type for a marrow transplant(Andrew is AB negative, by the way), it is not necessary. The matching HLA type, or tissue type, is the driving factor.
They do marrow transpalnts between people of differing blood type. After the transplant, the recipient actually becomes the donor's blood type.
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