Update

Jeff received his first dose of methotrexate through his spine yesterday. They'll alternate that drug with one called Ara-C, which Jeff has received as part of his chemo cocktails several times. The doctor is hopeful that within a week or two, his spinal fluid will look normal and that some of the sciatica-like pain he's been having will be gone. (He probably has two problems that are causing him the pain, the leukemia and some disc bulging, so the chemo might not take care of everything.)

In the mean time, he is being kept comfortable with a morphine drip, and regular doses of Ativan, which is for anxiety, and helps to relax muscles. He also has two of five of his regular chemo doses under his belt. Unfortunately, he's already running a fever, so a discharge by end of the week is unlikely.

We are still hoping for a remission, or close to a remission, so that Jeff can receive a mini-transplant from a yet-to-be determined donor.

**Because of the toxicity of the chemo involved in a full transplant, it's a once in a lifetime thing. So, the next transplant will be considered a "mini," and he'll receive a much milder chemo regimen to suppress his immune system before getting the donor cells. For a while, Jeff's cells and the donor cells will fight it out, in hopes that the donor cells take over and kill off the remainder of Jeff's bad blood.