WARNING: Rated R/G for "Really Gross"

This post is probably not for the faint of heart. I promised many loving friends to keep them up-to-date on Michael's journey, and I'm not sure how to do that without including some of the more unsavory aspects of his situation. He is still in good spirits and has finished all his chemotherapy. Feel free to skip the following paragraph if you'd like.

The job of most chemotherapy drugs is to slow, prevent, or interrupt the growth of cancer cells. To put it simply, the drugs have the same effect on normal cells, too. One of the big problems Michael is facing now is mucositis, a rather common side effect for bone marrow transplant patients. The cells of the mucous lining of his digestive tract are being destroyed; that lining is becoming inflamed and ulcerated. Painful mouth sores were expected. We are so thankful that he is not struggling with any of those mouth sores, but his throat (and probably on through to his stomach and intestines) is quite swollen. His saliva is so thick that it is nearly impossible to swallow. The result for him is that he is frequently gagging and vomiting. He also finds eating or drinking to be nearly impossible. Though this is a minor problem compared to some that others face, it is his current prayer to be rid of this issue.

Other than the mucositis, he seems to be doing pretty well. Today was full: he learned a new card game, made a "Go, Cards!" poster, did some experimenting with tin foil art, and had a physical therapy session. Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest from all chemotherapy.

I apologize for being rather graphic in this post. You can't say that I didn't warn you!