November 2, 2007

I hope you all had a pleasant Halloween. We had about 120 kids come to our house by 9:00pm. That’s when we turned out the lights and went upstairs to get ready for the night. There weren’t any pumpkins smashed in the street in the neighborhood and no noticeable vandalism so that was good.

Things are progressing well for me, very slowly but well. Barbara and I have been able to get out of the house more frequently. We even were able to go to church and to some friends’ houses. Those are great times and we feel blessed that we can do them. We both like our house a lot, but not 24-7. I actually was able to go into the garage and start cleaning it up. Everything takes so long because of my limited mobility that it is frustrating, but I appreciate being able to do anything at all.

I still am using a walker for the most part. If I’m only going a few steps I can use my cane. However I am still a little shaky for the cane yet. I have fallen a couple of times so far. Fortunately they were more of a slump to the floor and not a big crash so there were no bumps or bruises.

My legs are still pretty weak. When my knees bend too far (about half way) they buckle from lack of strength. I am able to go up and down the stairs alone now very slowly. Before last week Barbara had to give me a little push on the rear to get me up them.

My hemoglobin and hematocrit blood levels are starting to hold their own so we’re hoping there will be no more red blood transfusions. My platelets are still not maintaining, but are losing ground more slowly. Platelets are typically the last blood product to raise levels so they apparently need more time.

We have been going to the OHSU clinic twice a week because of the frequency of needed transfusions. We are now transitioning to once a week to the clinic. This is a real blessing not to have to go up to OHSU as often. Traffic is always so bad, no matter what time of day we go. When I needed a transfusion it normally takes 5-8 hours of sitting in a chair or lying in a bed that is way too short.

The leukemia is still at a very low level. The test results have not been able to show any specific mutations at all. There is a minute positive BCR-ABL protein detected, but no specific mutated cells. That is good news, but the best news would be to have negative BCR-ABL results. That is what we are hoping for and praying for to happen over time.

Barbara and I are reading the Bible together daily. We read In Psalms, Proverbs and a portion of a New Testament book. It has been very fulfilling to me to read scripture with my Sweetie. It is a great way to connect because we are both wrestling with “what’s next” and “where does God want us to be and what does He want us to do”? Barbara has great insights and our discussions are helpful in coping with living one day at a time.

We both suffer with being able to rest in the Lord. We want to help Him out. Instead of resting, our human side wants to be in control and know what is happening now and what will happen in the future. Please pray that we will rest in Him.

I highly recommend those of you married types to read together. The experience is drawing us closer together spiritually and emotionally.