Update 7/29/11 @ 1:25AM

The plasmapheresis machine and nurse came down from San Francisco and they started the treatment soon afterwards. They had just finished the first plasmapheresis treatment without any problems. The oncology nurse came afterwards with the Rituximab. It is a medication that will be given once a week for four weeks. She will be checking Alan every 20 minutes to make sure he does not have an adverse reaction to the medication. Since they started the medication at about 10:30PM, Alan has not had any adverse reaction. Also, they have decreased his respirator oxygen from 70% to 60% while maintaining good saturation levels. They will finish administering the medication by 3:00AM. His vital signs are good. The bleeding in his chest is minimal to none. They say that it should take a few days before we see any positive effects with the medication.