visitors

John is just too tired to do much on the computer if anything at all. One side effect of the chemo is a body rash so they give him Benadryl. Works well. Of course, if any of you have ever taken Benadryl, you know it makes you very sleepy. That's an understatement for John. It actually makes him rest really good. But no concentration to focus on the computer. He apologizes. No worries though I remind him.

I drove down to Detroit on Thursday. Will head back to Ludington Saturday. Heidi and Tim visitied today (Friday) they left the twins with me in guest housing since they obviously weren't permitted in his room or even that entire part of the hospital. We (twins and I) did wave from the sidewalk though and had the cell phone speaker on. The twins sent along art projects and coloring pages to decorate the room and to let their Papa know how they love him.

Justin will be visiting Saturday morning. How convenient that he also will be picking up his girlfriend from the Detroit airport. Kay will be back here on Sunday. By then she will hopefully be well-rested and recooperated from her awful cold.

John's room is decorated for the holidays, which makes the nurses just love coming in his room. He has a great Christmas tree with lights made out of red and green shotgun shells, a cheery singing and dancing Christmas tree that bobs along to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", and a glass snowman that glitters and changes colors. Plus, all the many wonderful get-well or Christmas cards that people have sent.

His appetite has increased very slowly. Maybe up to a third of his meals now. Walking laps around the unit are encouraged. 16 laps are supposed to equal one mile. But good ol' John counted the tiles and figured out since each tile is 12 inches, yadda, yadda, yadda, 1 mile is 15 laps plus some distance. Well, at least he's able to exercise his brain occasionally. He's not up to 16 laps by any means, but maybe by the time he gets discharged he can hit 10 laps.

I will try to post some pics on here.
thank you for the continued prayers,

Michelle
John
and the rest of the Hemmers

quote

I found this quote and thought it was fitting.

"Stop telling God how big your storm is.

Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!"

Michelle

Day plus 5

So they told us the five days after John got his stem-cells back were gonna be pretty bad. I think that was an understatement.

Of course, there are still the lasting effects of the chemo - fatigue, sore mouth, lack of appetite, etc, etc, etc. The transplant caused the blood count to drop though. Yup, very tired, and wearing a mask all the time. John received a blood transfusion and a couple packs of platelets. Starting to feel a bit better. He actually ate today - well, drank an Ensure. I hear the Strawberry is pretty good.

I told him a long time ago, he should familiarize himself with that stuff. Just knew he'd end up having it given to him. :)

Dr. Ayash has promised he will start feeling better soon. Your prayers will help too!

later,
Michelle

Transplant done

Wednesday was last day of chemo. They let John rest on Thursday, except for an IV drip of course. Friday, John got his stem-cells back.

We were told the first five days after the transplant were gonna be rough. It cause the blood count to drop drastically. No white cells, so he is vulnerable to catch anything. Hence, he wears a mask pretty much all the time now, including anyone else who goes into the room. Red cells and Hemoglobin drop so that makes him even more tired and fatigued.

Not much of an appetite. Chemo caused his mouth to become raw. So swallowing/chewing/etc isn't much fun. Chemo caused his mouth to be very dry also so that makes it difficult to talk. And then there's the need to shuffle to the bathroom often. note I said "shuffle". Still has neuropathy in his feet/lower legs and hands. (numbness, loss of sensation).

But he's hanging in there. That German stubbornness is good for something.

Kay has an awful cold, so she came back to Ludington to get better. With this time being the worst for John to catch a virus or bug, it was best. So please keep her in your thoughts also.

signed,
Michelle

address

Harper Hospital
Pt. John Hemmer
4100 John R. Street
8WN-Room #8208
Detroit, MI 48201

chemo begins

Hey, this is Michelle. Dad's laptop/internet isn't working so well at the hospital. Hopefully they can fix they problem soon. Until then, I thought I would fill you in.

John checked into the hospital Thursday afternoon. Chemo started Friday with a BIG dose and some pretty nasty stuff. So I'm sure you can imagine how he feels. Though every complaint or ailment he may have, they seem to have a pill for. You could probably get a pill if you had a hangnail. ;) Today's chemo along with the next 4 days is a different chemo that he will actually receive 3 times a day. This is all through an IV of course.

He tells me he enjoys the staff and they are very friendly. He does NOT recommend the scrambled eggs though!
They three people who are a big part of his team are: Dr. Ayash, Steve the pharmacist and Kathleen who coordinates everything. I keep them in my prayers that they are are given good guidance while taking care of my dad.

chow!



Harper Hospital
Pt. John Hemmer
4100 John R. Street
8WN-Room #8208
Detroit, MI 48201

putting'em back

Howdy folks,
Arrived in motown about 1400 hrs. today, had a check-up and a schedule of what is going to be happening the next three weeks. Nothing to exciting so far.tomorrow is kind of a slow day but Friday the action starts hardcore. All the personal here are very nice, treat you with respect and go out of their way to please you and keep you comfortable.
Sort of slow at the present time but will keep you posted daily.
Hope you all are doing well.
JOHN
ps Kay is having a good time too. I think.