Jason's Story, December 1 - February 11
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December 1
Jason was admitted to the
hospital Saturday evening with excruciating pain in his back and both
shoulders/arms. We were there on Friday evening also and sent home
with more pain medication which did not work. He had an MRI which was
inconclusive and he was released this afternoon after pain management.
He is scheduled for spinal chemo Wednesday and has one more treatment
before being admitted next week for bone marrow transplant. They are
making an effort to prevent him from being admitted to the hospital
where there is greater risk of getting sick, which could postpone the
bone marrow procedure.
December 2
Jason was admitted to the
hospital on the afternoon of the 2nd with unmanageable pain. He did
make it through the scheduled spinal chemo. He is hooked up to a pain
med machine so he can push the button himself to regulate pain
control. We are not sure what is next, but hope that he can return
home for a few days before the transplant procedures begin next week.
December 3
Today was off to a very rogh start and the amount of pain med released when the button was pushed was not enough to cover the pain. It took all morning to get it under control. They decided to extract some bone marrow which was difficult because of the pain already present. After more sedation, he is resting after the procedure. The MRI showed activity in the bones. This could mean the bone marrow is growing back or that there is cancer present in the marrow. They have to test the marrow to find out. Jason's father is flying in from Montana tonight for a few days. That will be a nice surprise for Jason. We are hoping to get Jason out for a day or two, if he feels better, but that does not look promising.
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December 12
Unfortunately, Jason did not make it out of the hospital after the December 3 admission for any extended period liked he had hoped. The back/shoulder/arm pain was too severe to keep it under control at home. In spite of being so uncomfortable, he did make it out for a couple of hours to have dinner with his dad and I before his dad's return to Montana. By Monday December 7, the Drs. allowed him to be discharged in the late afternoon to go the the restaurant he had chosen, the Outback. He made it through dessert, even through we could tell he was uncomfortable, so we felt like we had a "normal" dinner together. He was due for readmission early the next morning, so we went home after dinner.
By Tuesday morning at readmission, the pain was back with intensity, so it was a difficult day of testing, resettling and getting the pain medication flowing again. Thursday and Friday were hard days. Today (Saturday) when I walked into the room, Jason was sitting in the chair and looked much better. He is allowed pain medication every 4 hours and does well for 3 hours. The last hour he is usually struggling and counting the seconds until the next dose. He has been getting 4 doses of chemo per day, but for the next 3 days, they will switch to a different medication that is administered once a day. This bone marrow transplant will be on Wednesday, the 16th. Thank goodness for great drugs for relief and the great care he is getting here at the Mayo Clinic. This place is amazing!
December 18
The bone marrow
transplant was completed on Dec 16. Jason is heavily sedated and
sleeping most of the time these days following.
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December 31
I apologize for not writing sooner but it has been very difficult for me to see what has been happening to Jason again and see him in pain and my heart has been very sad. It makes it very hard to sit and write it down. We are very thankful to have the transplant and the hope that it gives but it has been such a long year and we are both very exhausted.
The last 3 weeks haved been difficult for Jason. He has had a lot of pain in back, shoulder areas and is extremely medicated most of the time. He is being fed intravenously as the mouth/esophagus sores from all the chemo are quite uncomfortable and has had lots of nausea. All of his hair and beard had fallen out in 2 days time. One day it was there and the next day it was almost all gone.
His blood counts had dropped to 0 and are now trying to recover. They give him shots to stimulate bone marrow growth and also had been giving him more chemo as an anti rejection agent. He is experiencing some graft versus host disease which you want on some level so that it will attack any cancer cells hiding somewhere in his body. The trick is to keep it under control but yet still let some host disease remain to do its job.
Jason has been very uncomfortable and had not communicated much for quite some time. His phone rings but he does not even attempt to answer. The computer remains closed most of the time. The TV is on mostly for the background noise. We are now at day 15 after transplant and statistically he should be turning the corner very soon and his blood counts should start rising. The only way you know the bone marrow transplant has been accepted by his body is when it starts to make white blood cells.
It will be a huge relief when this starts happening and also he will start feeling much better when it does. As soon has his counts are high enough he will be released and continue to recover at our temporary residence here in Jacksonville. They will monitor him closely with blood work and visits 2-3 times a week and slowly reduce these visits if all is looking good. We will be in Jacksonville for some time yet. We are optimistic on the new year ahead and that God's healing will continue and that he will be a testimony with a complete recovery and to be cancer free for the rest of his life.
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January 10
Jason is still struggling and needs extra thoughts and prayers.
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January 13
Jason is in critical condition in intensive care and his family has been called together.
January 23
Today is Jason's birthday. His father and brother are still here. He continues to be in very critical condition in the intersive care unit, still on a respirator.
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February 3
After 3 weeks in critical condition, Jason was moved to the bone marrow floor last night. He is still in very compromised health, but is making small steps towards a hopeful improved state. They also though bring him back to more familiar surroundings would be good for his mental health. Jason's brother, Jerry, flew back to Michigan today and will drive down depending on the Jason's condition. Jason's father is still here. I apologize for not posting for so long. There was too much bad news and new problems daily and we were devastated. He is having blood platelet dialysis and kidney dialysis daily which is improving his organ functions. Infectious Disease has been called in as he has a bacteria in his blood that is not responsive to antibiotics. These are a few of the many issues and doctors are amazed that he is maintaining and that have been improvements. It is a gift from God. He will probably be at the hospital for quite some time. I am so happy to write about this good new. Thanks for continued prayers for him and the family and for not forgetting. It has been such a long ordeal.
February 10
Last night Jason was taken to ICU in critical condition. He is not conscious and is on a respirator.
February 11
Jason passed away early this morning.
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Mayo Staff Memorial Service @ Mayo 11:30-12:00 Monday 2/15/10More information please contact Dr. Jason Starr @ Mayo
Hello colleagues: I regret to inform you that our dear friend/patient, Jason Thompson, has passed away this morning. I know he has touched each one of us in one way or another with his courage and spirit. His mother, Kim Thompson, and father, Tony Thompson, wanted to let you all know how much your care and compassion meant to them and Jason. They were always amazed with how much everyone here at Mayo really cared about Jason, and they considered you all their extended family. To honor Jason and celebrate his life we are going to be holding a memorial service here at Mayo, but we are working out the logistics of where and when. I will keep you all posted.
Thank you for making such a big impact in someone's life.
Regards, Jason Starr, D.O. PGY-2 Internal Medicine Resident
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Join us Saturday, February 27 at 2:00 - 5:00 as we remember Jason as a friend and family member. There will be music, a slide show and lunch. Please come and stay a while.
South Grandville Church 4130 Wilson Ave, SW Grandville, MI
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Mayo Staff Memorial Service @ Mayo 11:30-12:00 Monday 2/15/10More information please contact Dr. Jason Starr @ Mayo
Hello colleagues: I regret to inform you that our dear friend/patient, Jason Thompson, has passed away this morning. I know he has touched each one of us in one way or another with his courage and spirit. His mother, Kim Thompson, and father, Tony Thompson, wanted to let you all know how much your care and compassion meant to them and Jason. They were always amazed with how much everyone here at Mayo really cared about Jason, and they considered you all their extended family. To honor Jason and celebrate his life we are going to be holding a memorial service here at Mayo, but we are working out the logistics of where and when. I will keep you all posted.
Thank you for making such a big impact in someone's life.
Regards, Jason Starr, D.O. PGY-2 Internal Medicine Resident
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