Tuesday, January 10th Day 7 in the hospital

Hi All,

I am back in Utah, so the blog posts will be updates from the Grimm family. Today's update comes from Karma and Juergen who were driving home from the hospital.

Today, Detlef has been feeling more tired and nauseated, with a decrease in appetite. No hopping/jogging around the hospital today. He has been drinking mostly liquids, because this tastes better to him right now. He has been dining on Gatorade, diet Sierra mist, and V8 juice. Napping has also been more frequent today.

He received a shot of Neupogen today, which is an medication given to help increase Detlef's immune system that has been knocked out by the chemotherapy. The neupogen injection (neulasta is the generic name) is a common medication given to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Chemotherapy kills off the bad tumor cells, but at the same time it will destroy the good cells that we need as well. Our immune system starts in our bone marrow, which is also where Detlef's cancer starts as well. This new medication can sometimes make your bones ache, as it tries to stimulate the production of the much needed germ fighting cells. Detlef was given some tylenol to help prevent him from being too uncomfortable. Juergen's message tonight was that Detlef is not in pain, but he is definitely more tired, and food isn't sounding so good.

Tonight, Juergen and Karma read some cards to Detlef that had been sent to him. Juergen said that the messages of love and concern were very touching for Detlef, and Juergen and Karma as well. Juergen told me that he learned a new lesson today, that he didn't know before which is that people who are going through something like this, are lifted up by the kind and caring words of others. Until you have something like this happen in your life, you don't realize how important this is. Karma also said that Detlef is enjoying text messages that are sent to him as well. Again, sometimes the energy it takes to actually talk on the phone is a little too much, but reading a text message or a card, lets Detlef know how many people are thinking of him, supporting him, and loving him.

If you want to send a card to Detlef, you would want to send it to Karma and Juergen's address, and then they would bring it to him, and read them to him at the hospital. Currently the plan is for Detlef to be in the hospital at least one more week. This first round of chemo started with the four days of infusions, but then he will have another infusion in a few more days, and also some oral steroids that are part of the chemo regimen. They are waiting for the genetic testing to be completed, and that could also alter their chemotherapy plan.

The address to send a card to would be
Detlef Grimm
c/o Juergen and Karma Grimm
150 Elm Street
Louisville, CO 80027

Tomorrow, Karma is going to try to email me the pictures that they have taken over the last couple of days so that we can post them. Juergen said that today they are mostly of Detlef resting, but he is still doing well. He did have a little bit of a fever today, but that has come down.

Detlef told me before I left, that reading the blog is a little hard for him, because it is about him. It makes him a little too emotional, so he might not be reading this, and seeing the comments being posted. Again, dropping a card in the mail, would probably be a good way to communicate your love and concern for him.

Lisa