Last week I posted a couple of weapons I was selling to give my wife some pocket money for when she was traveling back and forth after my transplant.
I sold the AR. That gave me enough to get a great used guitar to learn on. It also put enough in my wife's pocket to feel comfortable while traveling back and forth to UAB for a few trips.
Anyway, I was sick when we got up there last Wednesday for the transplant. I had a reoccurrence of a terrible infection I had just spent a week at West Florida for, about a month ago. Without giving a lot of gory details, it is called C-Diff. It can kill you. You spend a lot, I mean a lot of time in the bathroom!
They tried Wednesday and Thursday to get it under control enough to do the transplant. They ended up sending us back to Pensacola, Thursday night.
The antibiotics seem to be working, so hopefully I will be rescheduled for the end of this week or first of next week.
This procedure involves them harvesting my stem cells (2 weeks ago) then zapping my bone marrow with a heavy dose of chemo to kill all of my bone marrow, then putting my stem cells, that were treated to kill the cancer cells and frozen, back in to me. I will have zero immune system, lose all my hair, get very sick and feel like I am dying, according to the docs and several folks I've talked to that have had bone marrow transplants.
I know this is a lot of detail. But, I have received so many emails, phone call, texts and responses from this forum telling me they are praying for me. I know prayer works, and I know specific prayer works too!
I don't know how to put in words how all the responses have encouraged my wife and I. People we have never met! It is an awesome, and overwhelming thing. Please continue to pray for us that soon we can get the transplant done and get on track with recovering. They say it will take 3-6 months for my stem cells to really get my immune system where it is supposed to be. The sooner my immune system gets back to doing what it is supposed to do, the sooner they can start treating my bones for the damage the cancer has done! That all equates to hopefully getting back to work! I've been off almost a year and I'm going bonkers..
Thanks again y'all
Joe

I haven't met you yet Joe, but I'll put you on the prayer list and pray for God's continued blessings on you and your family to see you through this to a great outcome.

Joe you'll be in my prayers for as long as you need them, hang in there and get well.

Hang in there, Joe. My wife and I are praying for successful treatment and a speedy recovery.
Please let us know how we can help you. I look forward to meeting you someday on the range.

Ditto what these gentlemen said Joe, prayers up and let us know what we can do.

You are in my prayers to Joe. I have a friend that went through something like that and everything came out fine so hopeing the same for you

Best wishes Joe, we all hope and pray for your speedy recovery.

Rick

Praying for your recovery.

Joe, guys at PFF were asking about ya yesterday....and I was gonna call you this AM while going to Mobile, but time w/ my baby gurl just flew by! I'll check on ya tomorrow brother! Still in my daily prayers brother!

Prayers to you Joe and wife, certainly has to be a tough time, thank you for filling us in.

Jason said:

Joe, guys at PFF were asking about ya yesterday....and I was gonna call you this AM while going to Mobile, but time w/ my baby gurl just flew by! I'll check on ya tomorrow brother! Still in my daily prayers brother!

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Jason, I look forward to hearing hearing from you brother. I'll go ahead and post an update on PFF too.

Thanks, all you other guys for keeping up the prayers. UAB called late this afternoon, and I am rescheduled for the procedure to start next Thursday and the transplant on Friday. Not this week, next week.
Thanks again,
Joe

We will be praying for you here. We've had our own rough times lately, and you are correct about this community, we all care about each other. heal quickly, and God bless you!