3/29/08

Hi everyone....Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I spoke to BJ this afternoon and got some encouraging information. The doctors did the liver biopsy Thursday to run five test for possible problems. So far, 4 of those tests have come back negative. The last test is for a fungus. That test takes a little bit longer for results, but hopefully it will come back negative as well. He still hasn't heard anything from the bone marrow test Friday, but that was to be expected. Those results should be back early next week.

BJ was in a great mood (as usual) when I spoke to him. I know a lot of that had to do with the big win last night for the team. He his hopeful and praying, as we all should be, for great news next week. I will update with any new information as soon as I get it. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

3/27/08

Hey everyone.... I wanted to give everyone an update on today's activities. As I'm sure most of you know, BJ had a biopsy done on his liver today to figure out what the spots from his CT scan were. The procedure they use to get the sample to test is, to say the least, very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, they had a little trouble getting a sample of one spot and it took multiple tries. Afterwards, BJ said he felt like someone had hit him in the ribs with a baseball bat. His white blood cell count has increased pretty rapidly over the last two weeks, so they moved his bone marrow test up to tomorrow. They want to make sure his cells haven't become acute again, which could result in another round of chemo. They did do some some blood work today and the doctors said the results were very encouraging.

BJ will have to wait until next week for the results of the biopsy. However, there is a doctor at UAB that, if available, can read the results of tomorrow's bone marrow test before it is sent off to the lab. BJ is hoping that he will be around tomorrow to give him the results before the weekend. BJ said he will deal with the results either way, it's just the uncertainty that is really bothering him.

BJ has continued to remain extremely positive, but I think he is obviously a little nervous about the latest turn of events. He wants to just move forward with the transplant without anymore setbacks.

Please look at the upcoming events section on the site. Some of BJ's friends from Tuscaloosa have organized a poker tournament to benefit BJ's foundation. Everyone pray for good results tomorrow and next week...If I get any information tomorrow, I will post it ASAP.

3/23/08

Hey everybody.....I haven't posted in few days because there hasn't really been any new information. BJ has been in a bit of holding pattern, waiting to hear what they next step is going to be. He spoke with several doctors and the transplant coordinator this past Friday and got some more information. They have decided that they want to do a biopsy of the spots on his liver and have scheduled that for this Thursday. The results from that will probably not be back until the following Monday or Tuesday. Obviously, this pushes everything back as far as the transplant goes. They will also probably have to do another bone marrow test to make sure everything is still okay and there haven't been any changes in his cells. So, the transplant is on hold until they get the results of these tests.

I had a chance to go to Saturday's baseball game and see BJ. This was the first time I had seen him since he got out of the hospital. Actually, it was the first time I had seen him since he became neutopenic and couldn't have visitors in the hospital. He is starting to get a little bit of his hair back, but the bald head looks good on him. He said he feels good and is enjoying going to the ball games and being around the team. He is obviously a little frustrated with this latest delay in his treatment. He kind of feels like any delay opens up the opportunity for something else to go wrong. He is trying to remain positive, but would feel a lot better if they would come back with good news and a date for a transplant. Unfortunately, all he can do now is wait until his test on Thursday. Everyone pray for good results from those test and pray for BJ. I will talk to you soon.

3/19/08

Just a quick update on today's activities..... BJ met with the doctors at UAB at 1:00 this afternoon and got the results of his CT scan that was done Monday. The good news is that the spot they were concerned about on his lung looks good and they are not concerned about it. The not so good news is that they found a couple of small spots on his liver. They aren't quite sure what the spots are, so they are going to have to look at them a little more closely. BJ said the doctors didn't seem real alarmed by the spots, so he was trying to be patient until they get some more information. They did some blood work today and could do some more tests in order to figure it out. They still don't have a firm date for the transplant, and probably won't until they make sure these spots aren't a concern. BJ said he was glad they caught them now so he could get that out of the way before the transplant process. He knows that process will be tough and would like to go into without something extra to worry about.

As far as how he is feeling.....He is feeling pretty good. He went to the baseball game last night and intends on making tonight's game as well as the games this weekend.

I will update with any new information. Talk to you soon.

3/17/08

Hi everyone....I haven't posted in a few days because BJ got a much needed vacation over the weekend. He went to Gulf Shores with his family and Ashley, so I tried to give him a break from me as well. He said they had a great time and it was nice to get away and relax a little bit. He also got to spend some time with his good friend Brent Boyd and his wife Jennifer while he was there. As I mentioned last week, BJ did have to get back to Birmingham today for a CT scan. They wanted to look at that spot on his lung again. They hope to have those results back by Wednesday when he goes in to meet with the Infectious Disease doctors about the "Super Bug" and his medications. They still haven't set the date for his transplant. He hopes to hear something on that in the next day or so. I will update you with that date as soon as he lets me know. As for how he is feeling, he said he is a little achy in his muscles and bones. This is one of the side-effects of the medications, so it was not completely unexpected. I will be posting more often to keep you updated on the transplant and his other test results. Please continue to leave comments and keep BJ in your prayers.

3/12/08

Hey everyone.....BJ had a pretty busy day. He was at the hospital (UAB) from 11 - 4 and then hurried home to try and get to the baseball game tonight. While at the hospital he did get some good news. They did a number of tests (he said he got "stuck" several times) and the doctors were encouraged by the results they were getting. So, they have asked the donor if they can do the transplant April 2nd or 9th. If the donor agrees to one of those dates then BJ will go back to the hospital about a week prior to the transplant. BJ was really encouraged and feels good about the fact that he is moving forward. He did say he wished the transplant could come quicker because this 2-3 week break does leave some time for a possible complication or set-back. So everyone keep praying that he continues to get the positive feedback and everything goes as planned. As far as some of the medical details, BJ did have a couple of appointments today that were re-scheduled. The doctors moved his CT Scan to next Monday. They will be looking at the spot on his lung again. Then Wednesday he will be meeting with the infectious disease people concerning the "super bug" and some of the medications he is taking. He is going to have his IV taken out after he gets his medications Friday. He is really looking forward to a few days without having something connected to him. He will actually get a little practice at that tonight. He got his medications early today and the home health nurse is coming tomorrow, so Ashley will get to take the IV out tonight as well. Overall, he was said he was feeling really good and ready to get going. I think the idea of getting to the next step really has him excited. I will try and keep everyone up to date with any new developments. Everyone keep BJ and the family in your prayers. Hope you all have a good day.

3/10/08

Hey......it's Devon. I haven't posted in a few days because there really hasn't been any change in BJ's condition or situation. I talked to him for a few minutes this morning, so I thought I would pass along how he's doing. He has been going to all of the baseball games. Yesterday the weather was nice enough that he sat in the dugout with the team. The medicine he is taking does make him quite tired, so when he is not at the ballpark he has been resting for the most part. He did have to make a trip to the emergency room last night. It was not a big deal so don't get alarmed. His PICC line (the device they put in to give his medicine's) had moved and was not working, so he had to go to the hospital and have it removed. They gave him his medications while he was there and he will be using a regular IV for the rest of the week. He is still scheduled to meet with the transplant team this Wednesday. I will give everyone an update then. Hope everyone has a good week.

3/05/08

Hi everybody....I just wanted to follow up on the good news from earlier today. I was able to talk to BJ for a few minutes this afternoon on his way home from the ballpark. I knew he planned on going to the game tonight, but didn't know he was going to make it for BP and to meet with the team this afternoon. He is going to be sitting in the press box at the game tonight, because he is supposed to avoid the cold weather and big crowds where he could pick up some virus. He is not nearly as susceptible as last week, but he still has to be careful.

He was really excited about the results from his bone marrow test. He said it was a tremendous relief to be able to concentrate on the transplant and not worry about the acute cells and another round of chemo. He is scheduled to meet with the transplant team next Wednesday ( 3/12 ). After that meeting he should have a plan and dates for the transplant.

The home health nurse came today to give him his IV. She won't be back until Monday, so hopefully everything will go smoothly and he can enjoy being home for a few days. Please continue to leave comments and I will talk to you soon.

3/5/08 - Great News!!!

BJ just sent me a text......the doctors called with the results from the bone marrow test and it was clear...NO acute cells. I know this is a huge relief for him and his family. I will talk to him later today and get more details, just wanted to get this good news out ASAP.

3/4/08 - Back in T-Town

I spoke to BJ this afternoon and I am glad to let you know he is back home in Tuscaloosa. He was obviously really excited about being back down there. He had only been home about 30 minutes when I called, so we didn't talk long. He said he was a little tired today, but that is to be expected with all of the changes that took place. His counts were up considerably today, which is great news. I think they will continue to go up now that he is back at his house and can be more comfortable. He still hadn't heard the results of the bone marrow test, so that will be the next big news.

I probably won't bother him again tonight. I know he wants to get settled in and relax a little bit. So, I will talk to you tomorrow......Hopefully with continued good news.

3/3/08 - Today was a BIG day

Hey everyone......I have some pretty exciting news today, but first I wanted to fill everyone in on a few of the daily details that I generally put on here. BJ had a very busy day. When I spoke to him this afternoon, he said he had been going non-stop since about 9 o'clock this morning. First, he did have the bone marrow test today. He said it was average as far as dicomfort goes. As many of you know he has had some tests that were quite painful, so average is a good thing. He will not have the results back for another day or two, so everyone pray that he gets good news. All of his counts were up considerably today. His white blood cell count was around 2,100 and his ANC count was up also. They did an EKG and chest X-ray today to make sure his heart was still functioning well after all of the treatment and medication. They told him everything looked great. They did remove the Hickman catheter from his chest today and gave him a normal IV. They will be putting in a pick line tomorrow, so he can receive IV's at home.

So, for the good news......we can go visit BJ again, but if you do it will be in Tuscaloosa because he is going home tomorrow. The doctors came in this morning and told him with his progress they didn't see any reason he had to stay there. He can receive his medications in a pill form or through the pick line they are putting in. He will have a home health nurse that comes by to give him those medications. I can't describe how excited he was to get that news. He is still trying to remain cautiously optimistic awaiting the results of his test today, but he is really pumped about getting to get to go home for a little while.

We won't really know the gameplan for what is next until the test results. I'm sure BJ wants to get it going. He said today that he knew he was in for a battle when he gets the transplant, but he was ready. I think after the good news today, he is ready for anything.

Talk to you tomorrow.

3/2/08 - Good Day / Big Day Tomorrow

Hey everbody..... BJ had another good day. When I spoke to him, he was feeling pretty good. But, he was also a little nervous about tomorrow. As most of you know, tomorrow BJ will have another bone marrow test. The results of this test are very important for him. If everything goes well, the acute cells will still be gone, he will be able to go home for a few days, and they will start lining up the transplant.

There is a possibilty that the doctors may remove the Hickman catheter tomorrow. For those of you new to the site, this is the device they implanted in BJ's chest when he was admitted to give him medicines and draw blood each day. It helps to eliminate a lot of sticks for drawing blood and gives him medications more effectively than a standard IV. They have been changing a lot of his medications over to a pill form in preparation for him going home. He will still have to have a pick line put in because some of his med's have to be given through an IV. He wasn't real fired up about having to have some type of IV treatment when he is at home, but I know he can deal with that just to be off that hospital floor for a little while.

Speaking of being off of that floor........BJ's counts were all up today. The doctors said he was no longer neutropenic, meaning he did have some ability to fight off infection. So, for the first time in a month....BJ got to go outside. There is a patio off of the third floor where people go for lunch and breaks, and he and Ashley went down there for a little bit. He told me it was so nice, he didn't want to come back inside.

I mentioned very early on, that when BJ went in for treatment he had no idea he was going to be there for a month. He thought he would be there a week at the most. His words to me were, "if I knew I was going to be here that long, I would have breathed a little deeper before I came in". I know that fresh air he had today had to be pretty sweet. I can't imagine going a month without fresh air. So everyone pray that his test goes well tomorrow and he can get out of there for a few days and get ready to move towards getting better.

It will be a couple of days before the results are back from tomorrow's test. As I mentioned before, I will let you guys know the results as soon as I do. Hope everyone has a good Monday...talk to you tomorrow.

3/1/08

Hi everyone....Today's news is going to be kind of short and sweet. I talked with BJ briefly this morning and he was still feeling good. He didn't feel as good today as yesterday, but still much better than a couple of days ago. His counts had dropped just a little bit since yesterday, but the doctors told him not to be too concerned about that. He was still quite positive. Hopefully the rest of his day went well and he has a good night. I will update tomorrow with more detail. Hope everyone has a good night.