5/31/08

B.J. had another really solid day. Last night they did give him some Ambien to help with his sleeping. It was working great until they came in to give him a breathing treatment. The breathing treatment was to help with some of the congestion in his throat. He wasn't able to really go back to sleep after they came in, so he was pretty tired again today. They have decided to stop the breathing treatments, so hopefully he will get some good rest tonight.

He did get some really good news today. His white blood cell count made a big jump from yesterday, which is great news. It still has to go up a good bit more, but today it was at .48 up from .19 the day before. His platelets dipped slightly today, but that is not uncommon. The swelling in his feet and his arm are about the same as yesterday, but his mouth is feeling a little bit better.

Mrs. Green said that he did get up and walk as he always does. He did get sick a few times today. They are no longer giving him the anti-nausea medication continuously through his IV. Instead, he has to ask for it when he starts to feel sick. The trouble is that he doesn't get much of a warning when he is going to get sick so, he hasn't been able to take advantage of that medication.

He was very excited about the big win by the team last night and when I was talking to Mrs. Green he was listening to tonight's game. Hopefully, both he and the team will have a good night. He is still very positive and seeing his counts going up has to help him even more. Keep praying for positive results and I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/30/08

Hey everyone...sorry to post so late today. BJ had a good day and did his walking as usual. I'm sure he's glad that he finally got some good sleep on and off today. Hopefully this will continue through the night. They are giving him a sleeping pill this evening in hopes he can sleep for longer stretches at a time.


The doctors did remove the Hickman on his left side today due to the bacteria his cultures showed, that I mentioned last night. He had an allergic reaction (chills) to the new antiobiotic they started him on for this. They had already changed him to a new antibiotic to when I talked to Ashley later tonight to relieve him of the chills. The nurses and doctors are hopeful this antibiotic combined with the removal of the one Hickman will make it easier for his body to get rid of that bacteria and it will not continue to grow.


They also started him on a blood thinner for the small blood clot in his left arm. Because the clot is small, the doctors say it should dissolve with the help of the blood thinner. They will continue to monitor everything until it's gone and the swelling goes down in his arm.


His platelets went up a good bit today which is great news! He did have a slight dip in his white count, but this was what the nurses and doctors were anticipating since his transfusion. This dip should mean that the white counts will now start to go up.

Keep praying and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

5/29/08

Hi everyone.... BJ's day might be considered a little more difficult that the last two, but it was still another good day in the big picture. He didn't sleep as well last night, partly due to some congestion in his chest. They tried to put him on a C-pap machine to help with his breathing, but that made him really uncomfortable and he didn't rest very well. Mrs. Green said they took the machine out today and didn't think they would give it another shot.

He continued to sleep a good bit throughout the day, but did keep his walking regiment going. His white blood cell count stayed the same, but his platelets wents up again! The sores in his mouth continue to improve, but his throat is still extremely sore. Typically, those sores heal from front to back, so hopefully he won't have to deal with that much longer.

He also had an ultrasound on his left arm (this is the side he sleeps on) because it has been swelling. They found a small blood clot, but they are not real concerned by it. They do want to continue to monitor it. They are also considering removing the left Hickman from his chest due to some of his blood cultures that came back. Mrs. Green said she wasn't sure if they would remove it just yet, but she did say the doctors are changing his antibiotics to help with this. The doctors continiue to give BJ positive feedback about how he is doing. He is doing great for being only day +14 since transplant. Please continue to pray and I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/28/08 - P.M.

BJ's afternoon went much like the first part of the day. They have decided to cut back his pain medication a little bit because it was really knocking him out. They want him to be awake enough to get up and move around. Ashley estimated that BJ walked a little over a mile today, which is phenomenal.

I mentioned earlier, his platelets have gone up today. The doctors have not given him any platelets since Saturday, so his body is doing that on it's own, which is also good news. His legs are still really swollen and really haven't gotten much better, but his mouth is looking better and hopefully it will be a lot better in a couple of days. When it gets better he can start taking some of his medications in a pill form and start weaning him off some of the IV's.

The doctors and nurses were really complimentary of his progress again today. I know BJ and his family have to be excited too. Everyone keep the prayers and positive thougts coming. He can definitely use them and they are helping. Hopefully, he will have another good night. I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/28/08

Hey everybody.... I wanted to let you all know that BJ had another good night. As I mentioned last night, they increased his pain medication so he slept much better. Ashley said he only got up 3 times, which is a big improvement over the last few days. He has been really tired and sleeping a lot today, but he has managed to get out and walk his laps.

His white blood cell count was the same as yesterday and his platelets went up again, which is great. The doctor also said that his mouth is healing very nicely.

So, another good day so far. I will update again tonight. Talk to you then.

5/27/08 - P.M.

I talked to Mrs. Green this evening and BJ continued to have a good day. They changed his pain medication and apparently this new medicine agreed with his system. This morning, he was asked to rate his pain on a level from 1-10 and he gave it a 9. This afternoon, when given the same question, he gave it a 2. He then gave his mom, sister, and Ashley a quick display of his dancing abilities, so he was obviously feeling better today!

Hopefully, he will have another good night and a good day tomorrow. I will update you all again tomorrow as soon as I have new information. Talk to you then!

5/27/08 - Update

I wanted to give everybody a quick update and some good news. I talked with Ashley this morning and BJ had a better night last night. He was up quite often until about 2 A.M. and then he finally slept for about an hour and half....got up.... then went back to sleep for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
So, that was really good news.

Also, BJ's counts went up a good bit today. His platelets were up from 5,000 to 8,000 and his white blood cell count went up from 0.09 to 0.23. Dr. Vaughn and the nurse were extremely encouraged by those results. They cautioned that his counts could drop a little the next day or so, but these results were still very positive. His mouth and throat are still very sore, but the doctor said that they could see that it was starting to heal a little.

So, BJ got some much needed positive news. He knows that he still has some difficult days ahead and he is not getting overly excited. But it is great to hear good news. I will update again this evening. Talk to you then.

5/26/08

Hey everyone......BJ had another difficult night last night, but we're hoping for better tonight. They did increase his medication to help him sleep, but it didn't have the desired effect. Mrs. Green said he was up at least every thirty minutes. They are going to try a different medication tonight, so hopefully it will work better and he can get some much needed rest. When I talked to Mrs. Green around 4:40 this afternoon, they had just started BJ on an IV of Lasix (a diuretic) to help with some of the fluid he is retaining.

He continued to walk around the unit again today. His throat and mouth are very sore and his counts are also still really low. He received the last dose of chemo today. This chemo, Methotrexate, is not near as strong as what he received prior to the transfusion. He has received it four times since and one of it's side effects is causing sores in the mouth. So, he is going to have to fight through that for a little while longer.

The doctors and nurses continued to tell him how well he is doing. Ashley is back in town and will be staying with BJ tonight. Hopefully, Mr. & Mrs. Green can get home and get some rest. Keep praying and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

5/25/08

Hey everyone.... BJ's night was very much like the last two. Mr. Green stayed with him last night. They did not increase the medication to help him sleep and he was only able to sleep about an hour at a time again. Tonight, they promised to increase the dosage of that medication, but told him not to go walking after he gets it because it could make him a little woozy. Hopefully, he will gets some good rest tonight.

His mouth and throat are both still really sore. This will probably persist for the next several days. Today, as of about 7:30 this evening, he had gotten out and walked laps around the unit 4 times with his dad. Mrs. Green was back at the hospital this evening and will stay with BJ tonight.

I know I continue to mentions this, but BJ is right on track of where he should be. We just need to keep praying for and thinking of him while he fights through this tough part of the process. Your words of encouragement on this site and to other people will help and are appreciated by BJ and his family. Keep them coming and I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/24/08

Hi everyone.... I talked to Mrs. Green earlier today. When we spoke not much had changed since yesterday. BJ slept about the same last night as the night before. As of this morning, they were considereing increasing the dose of the medication he is taking to help him sleep. They were going to give him some more platelets today as well. The doctors have been monitoring and testing the swelling in his ankles and feet. So far, everything has checked out and that is fine. He kept the unit floors hot again today doing his laps. Mrs. Green said this morning he was laying in the bed and looked asleep, when he sat straight up and said "Let's walk".

Mrs. Green was going home tonight to rest up and Mr. Green is going to stay with BJ. For the next few days there may not be a whole lot of changes in the way BJ feels. As I have mentioned before, this is the most difficult part of the process. So, he has to fight through these days and know there are better days ahead. Keep praying and supporting him because he can use all of the positive energy we can give him. I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/23/08

Hey everybody....Sorry, I am a little later posting tonight. I talked to BJ's mom earlier today. BJ was still feeling pretty similar to the last few days. His body is still adjusting to the chemo, medications, and new stem cells. But, so far he is adjusting quite well. He was up early this morning doing his laps around the unit. When I talked to Mrs. Green, she said that he had already been out walking three times today. I think the truly inspiring thing about his walking is that he is not being told to do it. He was told this would help him in his recovery, so he is taking this on like he has done any rehab he has had to do (which those of you that know him, know he has had a few). He wants to do it because he wants to get better and he is not going to wait for somebody to tell him to go do the work. He is going to get up and do it.

They did give him some medicine to try and help him sleep last night. He was able to sleep for longer stretches. He slept for closer to an hour at a time compared to the 15 - 30 minutes I mentioned last night. His counts are still about the same and the swelling in his feet hasn't changed much. He probably will have to deal with these symptoms for at least the next week or so.

I know BJ is trying to watch the game on TV tonight. He has been pretty frustrated trying to listen on the Internet because the medication makes him so sleepy that he can't stay awake. I think the way the team has played lately has probably been as inspiring and helpful to him as his fight has been to the team. I also wanted to make you aware of a new article about BJ's fight that was in the Birmingham News today. I have attached a link on the homepage. I will update again tomorrow with more details. Keep praying and I will talk to you then.

5/22/08

Hi everyone.....I spoke with Mrs. Green this afternoon and not a whole lot had changed since yesterday. BJ still says the two most difficult things he is dealing with are his sore mouth and swollen feet. He did not sleep very well again last night. He was pretty uncomfortable and restless. He slept a good bit today, but it is never continuous sleep (just 15-30 minutes at a time) so he doesn't get really rested. The nurse mentioned that she may be able to give him something to help him sleep this evening, but when I talked to Mrs. Green the doctor had not yet given an okay on that. Hopefully, he will be able to take something so he can rest at night and feel a little better throughout the day.

Speaking of feeling better, I thought this would be a good time to reiterate how well BJ is doing. All of the difficult side-effects BJ is going through were expected and unfortunately, part of the process toward getting better. He has been taking each one head-on and doing remarkably well. The doctors and nurses continue to make comments about how well he is doing. This is not to say that he does not have some tremendously difficult days ahead of him, but if he continues to fight through those days the way he has this first week, I don't see anyway he can be stopped from beating this.

He walked a good bit today and also was able to catch most of the ball game on the internet. I know the big win probably helped him today as much as anything. Keep praying and commenting, both are helping. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

5/21/08

Hey everybody...... I got to talk with BJ this evening. His mouth is still extremely sore, so I tried not to make him talk too much. He told me he hasn't tried to eat any solid food, instead depending on the TPN, for the last four days because it hurts too bad. Also, he hasn't really been able to keep anything solid down, so he decided to wait a little while before trying again.

BJ started really losing his hair again today. Mrs Green said the difference between today and yesterday was pretty dramatic. He will probably be completely bald again by tomorrow. I think he has kind of gotten used to the bald look, so it's not quite as big of a deal as it was last time.

His feet and ankles are still really swollen, but they are not quite as bad as they were yesterday. He was worried that his walking might be contributing to the swelling. The doctors assured him that it was the medication causing it, so he could continue his laps around the unit. He walked a whole lot today, which is great.

BJ said he felt a little better today than he did yesterday. He still has a little bit of a fever. He is on a whole lot of medications (antibiotics, pain medications, etc.), so he has felt a little loopy at times. He said that he didn't sleep much last night, so he was nodding off a good bit today. Hopefully, he will have a better night tonight and a good day tomorrow. Keep praying and I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/20/08

BJ had another tough, but good day.....BJ is still fighting many of the symptoms I mentioned yesterday. The most difficult of which are the sores in his mouth. Apparently, one of the medications he has been taking was a pill that was supposed to be dissolved in water. He was not aware of that and had been swallowing this large pill about four times a day for the last week without dissolving it. So, now that he is taking it correctly, maybe it will be more effective. Right now, that is definitely the most uncomfortable and painfull part of the process. He is also dealing with swollen ankles and feet so he is trying to keep them elevated to help with that.

I spoke to Ashley last night and she said that he was very sore and the chemo seemed to be really taking effect. But today he was able to get up, fight through, and go for his walks again. He saw Dr. Vaughn (his lead transplant doctor) on one of his walks. Dr. Vaughn seemed really impressed with how good BJ looks. Several of the nurses on the unit have also made comments about how well BJ is doing and looking. His counts are still really low, so when I get the all clear from his family to visit, I will let you know. Until then, your comments have been awesome and both he and his family appreciate them. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/19/08

Hey everyone.....I spoke to both Mrs. Green and Ashley this afternoon to check in on BJ. He is hanging in there and doing well. He is going through what should be the most difficult part of the process right now. So, if he can hang tough and get through the next week or so, some of these side effects should ease up. His white blood cell count is 0.08, which is basically non-existent, so he is extremely susceptible to a virus. He still has a fever. Mrs. Green said that it gets a little higher at night and then eases a little throughout the day. He also developed a rash as a side effect of one of his medications he is taking. It was all over his body yesterday, but today they gave him some Benadryl that helped a lot. The biggest thing he is dealing with right now is a sore mouth. He was really hungry today, but it hurt his mouth too bad to eat, so he has had a pretty steady diet of popsicles. He has been getting the TPN (basically, essential nutrition through an IV) but it is not very filling, so I know he will be doing better when he can get some solid food in his system.

One very positive thing is that BJ has been getting up and walking quite often. When I talked to Mrs. Green this afternoon, he had already been up walking laps around the unit 3 times today. I know he has been checking in on the web-site and your comments are very much appreciated. Please keep them coming along with your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully, he will get some good rest tonight and be ready to battle again tomorrow. Talk to you then.

5/18/08

Hi everyone..... BJ had a pretty difficult day today. He has fought a pretty high fever most of last night and today. He was very sleepy most of the day, but when he wasn't asleep he did get up and get some exercise. He knew going into this, that the next few days would be the most difficult. He has met that battle full steam ahead and continued to fight through and persevere.

His platelets and white blood cell counts are at an extremely low number now. I know that most of us have avoided going by to see him because of fear of carrying in some type of virus, but now that cautiousness is more critical than ever. BJ's ability to fight off some type of infection is basically zero, so if you are sick or have been around anyone sick it would be best to wait until later to pay a visit. The next few days are going to be the most difficult days of the whole process. Please continue to keep BJ and his family in your thoughts and prayers. I will talk to you tomorrow.

5/17/08 P.M.

Hey everyone..... I talked to Mrs. Green this evening to see how BJ's day went. She said he had a good day. When I called he had just finished walking 4 laps around the unit. All of his counts look good, his platelets are up and his white blood cell count was down a little bit. He was also awake and able to celebrate another win by the baseball team. His throat was hurting more now than it had been. It had been hurting only when he was eating and trying to swallow. Now, she said it was hurting all of the time. They have given him some medicine for it, but it hasn't helped very much. He was told that it would probably get worse before it gets better.

His attitiude and outlook continues to be incredibly positive. We just need to keep hoping and praying for continued good reactions to the stem cells and medicines. I know there are a lot people praying and pulling for BJ. I think I can speak for him and his family in saying that all of your thoughts and prayers have been felt and appreciated, so keep them coming. Talk to you tomorrow.

5/17/08

Hi guys.....I talked to Ashley and BJ this morning and everything is still going good. He got sick once yesterday evening, but hasn't been sick since. Ashley said he slept really well last night and only got up to use the restroom. He was pretty tired this morning, but that is to be expected. His mouth was starting to get sore again (He doesn't have any sores in it), so they put him back on the medication that he was on prior to the chemo which should help with that. He is dealing with some indigestion and heart burn that they are also treating with medication.

When I talked to BJ he had just gotten back from a walk and he had already been up and around earlier this morning. So, his body seems to be dealing with everything very well. I am going to talk with them again this evening to see how his day went and I will post again tonight. Have a good day & keep praying.

5/16/08

I wanted to update you all on BJ and how he was feeling today. I talked to him around 10:00 this morning and he sounded great. He said he got sick once last night, but had not gotten sick since. He didn't have any adverse reactions (fever, nausea, etc.) to the stem cells yesterday during the transplant which is also a very good sign. He said he was getting a little stir crazy being in his room so much today, which may be a good thing that he feels good enough to get stir crazy. He said the next few days could be a little difficult while his body reacts to the stem cells and his medications. Hopefully, he can get through those days without feeling too bad and move on towards getting better. BJ's mom, grandad, and Ashley are at the hospital with him today and I hope to go see him this weekend. I will update you as soon as I get any new information. Keep praying for more good news. Talk to you soon.

5/15/08 - Transfusion is Done

Mrs. Green just called and said the tranfusion was done. She said that everything went well and BJ did great. BJ has a lot of family at the hospital with him and seems to be feeling pretty good. I know he has to be glad to finally have the transplant done after all of the setbacks he has gone through. I will keep you all up to date with how he is feeling and doing. Talk to you soon.

5/15/08 - Transfusion Just Started

Mrs. Green just called and they just started the transfusion at 1:00 p.m. She said it would take about 3 hours for the transfusion to complete. I will update you when I know more.

5/15/08 - TRANSPLANT DAY!

The big day is finally here. I spoke to Ashley about 11:15 this morning. They were starting BJ's pre-meds and the transfusion should start about 11:45. She said he had a pretty good night last night and was able to get some sleep. He was feeling pretty good and ready to get going. I will update again when I know more.

5/14/08 P.M.

Hey everyone.....Just a quick update on today and plans for tomorrow. I spoke to Mrs. Green and BJ this afternoon. He was able to walk a few laps around the unit. He was still experiencing some of the nausea and sore throat that he has been dealing with the last several days. He really hasn't been able to eat very much at all lately because of that. After the transplant they should be able to get some food in his system through an IV if needed. He did gain a good bit of weight this morning because of the fluids they were giving him. They were going to give him another medication to try and control that. When I talked to him he seemed positive. He did say some of the medications had him feeling a little loopy, so we didn't talk long.

As for tomorrow....The donor's stem cells are to arrive in Birmingham at 9:30 tonight. Mrs. Green said the transfusion should start around 9:30-10:00 tomorrow morning. They are going to let me know when it starts and ends so I will be updating the site throughout the day.
I asked BJ if he was nervous and he said he hadn't really been able to think about being nervous with everything else going on from the chemo. Plus, as you all know, if BJ was nervous he would never let you know it. BJ has been waiting on tomorrow for a long time and gone through a lot to get here. Mrs. Green said that he was ready to get on with it and move to the next step.
Please keep praying for BJ and his family tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. I will update you as soon as I can, talk to you then.

5/14/08

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day! I know BJ probably thought it was never going to get here. I spoke to Mrs. Green last night and everything was still on schedule. She was going back up to UAB last night to spend the night. Her cousin, Teresa, spent the day with BJ and said that he was able to get up and walk around the unit a few times, so he was feeling a little better than the day before. Since the transfusion was originally scheduled for today (Wed), Mrs. Green didn't think BJ would be receiving a whole lot of medication today, just fluids and anything else he may need to get ready for tomorrow. I will get another update today and hopefully post one more time this evening to let you know how he is feeling. Everyone keep praying the transfusion goes well and his body accepts the donor cells. I will talk to you soon.

5/12/08

I had the chance to speak to Mrs. Green and Dana this eveving. They gave me an update on both yesterday and today. Yesterday, BJ received a new medication. He did experience some different side-effects. He was pretty nauseated most of the day and got sick a few times. He also had to deal with some serious hiccups. Mrs. Green said at one point he was sleeping, snoring, and still had the hiccups. They were able to give him some medicine that eventually got them under control. He was able to listen to the baseball game yesterday and I know the big win had to pump him up a little bit.

Today, BJ slept most of the day. They gave him the same medicine that made him shake so bad Saturday. Fortunately, he did not have the shakes today, but he was really tired. The doctors were giving him a pretty heavy dose of medicine to control nausea and it really knocked him out. Hopefully, tomorrow he will feel like getting up and moving around a little bit.

Overall, the doctors have said that everything is progressing as planned. He is on schedule for the transfusion Thursday. The past two days of chemo were supposed to be the worst, so hopefully the worst of that is behind him. Keep praying and I will update soon.

5/10/08

Hello everybody....I wanted to give everyone an update on BJ's day. I spoke to Ashley earlier to find out how he was handling the new medication. She said he had not had any fever at that point and when he did start feeling nauseated they gave him some medicine that helped. The one side-effect he is dealing with is shaking. They would normally give him Demerol to help with that, but he is allergic to Demerol, so he is having to fight through it. He was also having a little lower back pain that they treated with medication. They told him that today would probably be the worst day of the chemo, so hopefully that will be the case. They will give him another medication tomorrow and today's medication again Monday, but it is not supposed to be as bad the second time around. BJ is wearing a heart monitor, so he has had to spend a good part of the day in the bed. Maybe tomorrow he will be able to get up and move around a little bit.

One other important piece of information.....BJ's transfusion (transplant) has officially been moved to Thursday (May 15th). The donors cells will not arrive until late Wednesday, so they decided to wait and do it Thursday. I will let you know how tonight and tomorrow go when I post tomorrow night. As always, keep praying for BJ and say a special prayer for Mrs. Green tomorrow on Mother's Day. Talk to you tomorrow.

5/8/08

Hey everyone....I had the chance to go see BJ this afternoon. I am glad to say that he felt good and also looked like he felt good. While I was there, he was receiving the 7th chemo treatment of the 16 treatments he has with this initial medication. He hasn't really had any trouble with this medicine so far. The only trouble seems to be adjusting to the schedule of receiving it every six hours. He told me that the 3 A.M. treatment is a little difficult because they start pre-treatment at 2:30 A.M. and by the time they are done coming in and out of his room, it is 5 A.M. They did have him on a heart monitor because one doctors thought she heard an irregularity this morning, but as of 5:30 this afternoon he had not had anymore problems. The chemo treatments that he will receive both Saturday and Sunday can have some side-effects that will be more difficult to deal with so, please keep him in your prayers this weekend.

While I was there, BJ's sister (Dana) and niece (Brooklyn) came by to visit. One thing that came up in our conversation was some confusion about the transplant next week. The bone marrow transplant BJ will receive next Wednesday is actually a transfusion, not a surgical procedure. So, he will receive the tranfusion in an IV form just like he does his medications and platelets. I apologize if I have not discussed that before.

I hope to go by and see him tomorrow and I will try to follow that up with a post. BJ has a lot of time on his hands right now and looks at the website, so if you want to drop him a line, I'm sure he would appreciate it. Also, I put his UAB address on the homepage if you want to send him something (anything but flowers and fruit). Keep praying and I will talk to you soon.

5/7/08

Hey everyone..... BJ was admitted to the hospital yesterday. They really didn't do much yesterday besides draw some blood and give him some fluids, so I didn't post. He started receiving the chemo this morning at 9 A.M. He will be getting that medicine every six hours (9 A.M., 3 P.M., 9 P.M., and 3 A.M). He wasn't really feeling any side-effects from the medicine when I spoke to him, but he had just gotten it, so I will let you know about that later.

He is in Room # P350. I will be putting the address on the homepage soon, so watch for that if you would like to send him something. He said his room was really big, so he has plenty of space to move around, which will be nice. As for visiting, there aren't really any restrictions on the time of day. I hope to go see him tonight or tomorrow and I will try to find out what time is best for him. I will update again soon. Talk to you soon.

5/0508

A quick update on today.... I spoke to Mr. Green this evening to find out how BJ's day went. Overall, he said everything went well. BJ was at UAB most of the day today, receiving the test dose of chemo. He had to hang around so they could monitor his vital signs and make sure he didn't have any adverse reactions to the medicine. He did get a little bit of a rash on his stomach, but the doctors weren't concerned by that and thought everything went really well. He also received some more medications that are supposed to help prevent possible side effects when he is receiving the chemo.

BJ felt well enough that he went back to Tuscaloosa for one more night's sleep in his own bed. Mr. Green said he thought BJ's spirits seemed even more positive today, which is truly remarkable to me. He is supposed to be back at UAB at 10 A.M. tomorrow to be admitted. I will give everyone an update tomorrow evening with the address, visiting procedures, and how he is feeling.

A lot is about to happen in the next couple of weeks, so your thoughts and prayers are more important now than ever. Continue to lift both BJ and his family up and I will talk to you tomorrw.

5/4/08

Hi everyone......I got to spend some time with BJ yesterday and wanted to give you all an update. BJ's parents had some of us over for a cookout before he goes into the hospital. Everyone had a great time and it was good to see everyone laughing and cutting up.

BJ is still trying to get adjusted to the Hickmans. His neck is starting to loosen up some, but I'm sure it will take a little while for him to be comfortable with them. He said the most difficult thing to get use to is sleeping. With the devices in his chest, he has to sleep on his back, which is not what he normally does. The Palifermin medication that they have been giving him the last couple of days has had some effects. As I mentioned before, this medicine will help reduce some of the sores that can develop in his mouth as a result of the chemo. He said yesterday that his mouth was starting to feel swollen. The doctors mentioned this before he took the medicine so, it was not unexpected.

BJ was planning on spending most of today in Tuscaloosa and going to a cookout with some of his friends. Hopefully, he was able to relax a little and enjoy himself.

Tomorrow, BJ will be receiving the "test" dose of chemo. I will try to get an update sometime tomorrow night. He is about to go through a pretty difficult time so, please continue to pray for BJ and his family. Talk to you tomorrow.

5/2/08

Hi everyone.....I spoke to BJ last night and wanted to give you all an update. They did get both of the Hickmans in and he said he was really sore. When he was in the hosptial last time he only had one Hickman on the right side of his chest, so he could turn his head one way without it pulling or hurting. This time he has them on both sides, so he said he feels like Frankenstein. Until the soreness goes away and he gets used to them, he has turn his whole body rather than just his head.


He went back to UAB today to get another dose of the Palifermin. He got that this morning and was back in Tuscaloosa by lunch. He will go back to UAB tomorrow and then have Sunday off. Monday is going to be a pretty difficult day because they are going to give him a test dose of the chemo. BJ said the "test" was to figure out how his body would react to the medicine so they can determine the amount he will receive each time when he goes into the hospital. So Monday he will get a very big dose of the medicine.

When I spoke to him last night he was really positive, as he usually is. He said he was sore now and knew was going to be really sore soon, but he was ready for it. His attitude about all of this has been truly amazing. As BJ mentioned in the newspaper article, your comments on here do mean a lot to him and will be a source of strength when he goes into the hosptial. So please continue to leave them.

I also wanted to mention, some people have asked about donating to the BJ Green Strike Out Leukemia Foundation. I have put the address on the homepage so, if anyone feels like they want to do that, please feel free.

If I get any new information tonight I will post, otherwise I will talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night.

5/1/08

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update on BJ's visit to the Unit yesterday. He met with the doctors and got all of his paperwork handled. Today, they will be putting the Hickman catheters in his chest and starting one of his medications. I will try to let you know how everything goes later tonight or tomorrow.

I know one question that most people may have is about visiting BJ when he is in the hospital. Mrs. Green said that they did notice signs that asked for no more than three visitors at a time. Other than that, she said the doctors didn't really say too much about it. So for now we are going to assume that we will use the same protocol as the last time he was in. That being that all of us be aware that BJ's immune system is going to be incredibly weak, so don't go visit if you or people you are around are sick. It is not worth taking a chance on giving BJ or someone else on the unit your virus. Also, like last time I will put BJ's address at the hospital on the homepage so you can send cards or other things. But keep in mind, they will not let you send flowers or fruit. They will not let either of those in the unit.

I also wanted to point out that there is a link on the right side of the homepage to another great article that was in the Montgomery Advertiser this week. The writer, Tim Gayle, has been following BJ's story and does a great job of putting it into words.

I will update with more details about today as soon as I get them. Talk to you soon.