Monday, December 13, 2010

Update # 142   

4 Years

Merry Christmas to All,

Can you believe it has been 4 months since the last update and that this is only the 5th one of the year?  It must mean Jeff is doing very well.  And we are truly thankful that is the case.

Now, as is typical December StL appointment time, yesterday's weather was not the best for Jeff driving to our house.  The snow storm on Saturday moved further south and continued to play havoc with driving conditions on Sunday.  Jeff did begin the day in sunshine and clear roads but strong winds and blowing snow slowed him down.  He finally arrived safely at our house around 7:45 PM.

Meridith remained in Iowa this time to be able to take off days next weekend for her brother's college graduation.  She did begin a full time job at Target in August and it does include benefits.  Meridith had double duty for a few months since she still helped out as temporary part-time church secretary till Thanksgiving.

Overall, Jeff has been well.  In August, he had some congestion and was on antibiotics for 10 days.

The last update was when Jeff had his Iowa City eye appointment in July.  His November visit again went very well.  Lack of sleep and too much light still bothers Jeff's eyes but it is tolerable.  Dr. Wagoner wants him to continue with the 4-month check-ups by returning on April 5th.  The Nov. appointment was the day after Jeff and Meridith's 2nd anniversary.  They continued on to Des Moines to celebrate by seeing the musical production of "Mary Poppins". 

This morning, the 3 of us left about 6:00 AM for Jeff's StL appointment with Dr. DiPersio.  The roads were mostly clear but traffic was busier than usual.  I guess everyone left super early thinking the roads might be bad.  We still arrived right before Jeff's 8:00 lab time and got in to see Dr. DiPersio even before the scheduled 8:45 time.  He was very pleased with Jeff and said the counts were perfect.  The iron level has come down quicker (6 months) than they thought it would take (12 months).  It is still above the normal range but Jeff can now go just every 3 months for a phlebotomy.  The low dose high blood pressure pill Jeff began in June has worked so that continues.  Dr. DiPersio was very happy which made us very happy.  Jeff returns to see him in six months on June 20th.

Life is good for Jeff.  Four years ago yesterday was Jeff and Matt's big stem cell day.  How thankful we are that each of you prayed for them both and that God has blessed Jeff with wonderful reports.  We pray daily for Matt and his troops overseas.  Our prayers also include all of you who continue to uphold Jeff in your prayers.  You will never know how much it means to us.  Words cannot express our love and gratitude.  May God richly bless you all in this Advent season as we prepare for the birth of His Son.  Stay safe during these winter months.  I hope I don't need to update you again until next summer.

love,

Marcia