You can tell that the chemo is beginning to catch up with Tanner. He has not been in the best of moods today and has been pretty quiet.

He played X-Box 360 for a while and then plugged in his I-POD and has just been lying on the couch most of the afternoon. Right now he is asleep.

The PA told us today that he's doing well but that he will most likely bottom out here in about a week.

She said that his mucous lining will become inflamed and that he will have a sore throat and an irritated esophagus (and possibly sores in his mouth) and might not want to eat much when things start getting rough for him.

She says that all of this is normal and is to be expected before he starts building his way back up. We will be at the hospital for a little longer tomorrow because his red blood count is getting low and they are going to have to add some other drips onto his chemo tomorrow.

I went to the grocery store this afternoon and bought some things so that I can make soups and some meals in the crockpot. I know that soon Tanner will get to a point where he won't feel like getting out much and I want to have things on hand that we can eat here at the apartment - and also so that I won't have to leave him.

All in all, it was a fairly quiet day and he's doing pretty good. I'm glad that he's getting some rest - which is good for him.

Some of the other patients that we have come to know during our first month of treatment have also moved up to 7C so Tanner has others that he can still talk to. I think it helps him (and me) to have others who are moving along at about the same pace as he is that we can talk to as we move down this next phase. He's also meeting new people and one of the men who ended up in the room with us today told him that "Bart" (Dr. Barlogie) had told him about Tanner and that they were personal friends and that he wanted Tanner to know that he was going to be fine and that Dr. Barlogie was telling him how well Tanner was doing. Everywhere he goes at UAMC, people recognize Tanner as the "young" myeloma patient and always have kind things to say to him. I think he inspires everyone he meets here at the myeloma clinic. I know he inspires me every day.