An excellent wife!

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	7.1	13-17	^
Platelets	10	140-375	v
ANC	50	1800-8300	^

How time flies, when you're having fun at the hospital. Say what? It has been five days since I posted. Jill and I have developed a routine, which addresses a few challenges. 

First, she arrives, usually, between 8:30 and 9:00am, and brings me coffee. Have I mentioned that the food service is nothing like I remember from my previous visits to Club Sunnyside? I have ordered food that was never delivered. Most of the dishes on the menu are quite unappetizing, but the medical team keeps telling me, "Eat, eat. Food is medicine." Following several disappointments from the kitchen, Jill decided to bring me lunch and dinner each day. She learned that there is a microwave on the ground floor that is open to guests to use. She heats up my lunch, and then before she leaves for the day, she heats up dinner and puts it in a thermos for me to eat later. She is such a sweet lady. 

During the day, we try to get some exercise. If we can, that looks like a walk around the hospital campus. Right after my five days of chemo, my energy was gone, so we started walking around the oncology suite. I determined that 12 laps is a mile. Mostly we do that, because now that I am feeling better, the weather is not cooperative for outdoor walking. 

Speaking of feeling better, if you checked out the Box Score, some good things are happening. As expected, I have needed several transfusions. It has seemed to work out that I get platelets one day, and red blood cells the next. Today, I didn't need any blood products. What is most exciting is that ANC went up to 50. That doesn't seem like much, but three days ago it was 10, the next day 20, the next day 30, and today 50. It looks great on a graph, and the trend is definitely encouraging. 

When ANC reaches 500, I will be able to go home. That sounds like a long way from 50, but you will note that the numbers can double overnight. The medical team is talking about discharging me "late this week, or early next week."  Please join me in praying that I will be home sooner rather than later. Of course, all is in the Lord's good timing. 

Now on to the fun part of our day. When I was here at the Club before, Jill and I started reading mysteries to each other. In particular, we have been reading a series by a Canadian writer named Louise Penney. The stories are centered around a tiny, remote village situated between Quebec and the Vermont border and around a Chief Inspector of Police for the Sureté du Quebec. Today we started the last one of the series that we have not yet read. It is, in fact, not the last in the series. It seems we got the order of the last three books reversed. So, we are starting number 15. We just finished number 16, which was preceded by number 17. No wonder we were having so much trouble figuring out where some of these characters came from. The series is not exactly one long story broken into 17 parts, but each book introduces some new elements that then continue on through the series. Now we are understanding some parts that were, well, mysterious before. 

Because it is January and daylight is limited and the weather can be rather nasty for driving some days, Jill tries to set out on her drive home before 3pm. So, we have a short day into which to pack as much fun and keeping company with each other as we can. All of this explanation is to provide for me a lame excuse for not posting more frequently. Is it working? 

Summing up, things are going well with my treatment and recovery. Jill, my sweet Jill, is by my side as much as she can be and is busy every day providing meals and clean laundry and above all companionship for me, not to mention taking care of our home. Sorry, guys, she's mine, and you can't have her! Don't know what I would do without her. 

An excellent wife who can find?
    She is far more precious than jewels.
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
    and he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good, and not harm,
    all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:10-12, to learn more about an excellent wife, read the rest of the chapter.)