Lazy bones

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	9.8	13-17	^
Platelets	78	140-375	^
ANC	110	1800-8300	v

Lazy bones, sleepin' in the sun
How you 'spect to get your day's work done?
You'll never get your day's work done sleepin' in the noon day sun

Lazy bones, sleepin' in the shade
How you 'spect to get your cornmeal made?
You'll never get your cornmeal made sleepin' in the evening shade

When taters need sprayin', I bet you keep prayin'
The bugs fall off the vine;
And when you go fishin' I bet you keep wishin'
That the fish won't grab at your line

Lazy bones, loafin' through the day
How you 'spect to make a dime that way?
You'll never make a dime that way. Never heard a word I say

So go the lyrics to a song sung by Leon Redbone,* one of my favorite singers. They seem to capture my mood. First of all, you may have been wondering why I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. Lines 1 and 2 pretty  much cover that. 

Second, and in my defense, there were the holidays to contend with. This, of course, is just a weak excuse I use, since we make a point every year of finishing our Christmas preparation by the first of December. Not only that, but virtually all of our shopping was done, well, virtually. We shopped online. We ordered online. We ordered things that we ordered gift wrapped and drop shipped to our friends and family. Easy peasy. 

Now, if I have an adequate excuse, which I haven't, it would be found in the Box Score above. More accurately, it would be found in the box score from December 27th. On that date, my Box Score looked  like this: 

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	9	13-17	v
Platelets	21	140-375	v
ANC	200	1800-8300	v

Those who have read much of this blog will know that, when my platelets are very low, there are some predictable consequences. My energy level crashes, I begin to experience some bleeding, usually from my nose, and I become quite lethargic. Add to that a significant drop in my hemoglobin, with it's attendant anemia leaving me short of breath, and you have the formula for a scenario along the lines of Mr. Redbone's lament above. 

In fact, my platelets were low enough that I had a platelet transfusion the day following these lab findings. Platelets are like a kind of tonic. A unit of them makes me feel like taking on the world. None of the HemOncs has been able to explain that phenomenon to me, and it makes little sense to me, since the primary function of those little golden gems is to initiate blood clotting in the event of an injury. 

Fast forward to Tuesday, January 3rd. I had another bone marrow biopsy, because the previous one, done on December 20th, did not provide adequate tissue samples to get a good read on the status of my leukemia. We are still awaiting the lab report. 

Incidentally, I had some oral sedation for that procedure in the form of Lorazepam, a powerful sedative, and oxycodone, a powerful pain reliever. It never seems to me that these drugs make me feel any different, but it is also true that I had very little discomfort during the biopsy. Apparently, when I am under the influence of these drugs, I am not a very good judge of how effective they are. On the way home from the clinic, I received a phone call regarding another appointment I needed. I noted mentally that it was for today at 2:30pm, but I was apparently oblivious to the department I need to report to for a minor follow up on my recent Vascular Access Port removal surgery. Fortunately, when I called this morning to verify the appointment, Kaiser had all the information I need. 

Jill and I are so blessed to have good medical care. Jehovah Jireh, the God Who provides, is always there for us. 

"The Hebrew word, jireh, means not only 'to provide;' it also means 'to perceive,' 'to experience.' Our Lord is the 'God Who Provides,' because He is also the 'God Who Perceives' our needs—the 'God Who Experiences' what we are experiencing and who can therefore provide exactly what we need."**

We are also grateful for all those of you who provide for us through prayers and well-wishes, not to mention the kind and thoughtful helping hands that many of you have supplied. 

May God bless you all. 

By the way, we did have a wonderful, if quiet, holiday season and we wish you all prosperity in 2023. 

Jill and Lazy bones

*https://genius.com/Leon-redbone-lazybones-lyrics

**https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-does-jehovah-jireh-mean