October 28, 2004 DAY #366-1 Year!!
My dear friends,
I want to take a moment to thank you all for your support. Today marks my first "birthday". One year ago, I embarked upon a strange and wonderful journey. That journey was full of fear, hope, pain, love, frustration, victory, challenges, achievements, joy, strangeness, wonder and gratitude. The journey is not over, of course, but this is a major milestone for me. I have come a long way, and there is much left to be done.
I think the hardest thing for me right now is dealing with the day to day challenges of life combined with the residual effects of the treatments I have received. It is an interesting phenomenon to me to watch the cycle of personal awareness shifting from almost total self absorption to a more normal outlook on life and things going on around me. By the same token, things will never be quite the same, I think. Sometimes, it offends my male ego to be so dependent on my dear Menchie. I want to be the strong person, but there are some things I just can't do. Probably this is why there are other things that I must do, like riding my bike. When I am on my bike, I am on an equal footing with everyone else. I can continue to find victories there. Otherwise, being in almost constant pain and not being able to walk well is very frustrating, discouraging, and even depressing at times. I am working hard to come to grips with all this, and find acceptance for these challenges in my life. I accept it most times, but sometimes it is hard. This week has been cold and rainy. I discovered one advantage of neuropathy is you can't tell when your feet are cold and wet!
Menchie and I spent last weekend in Julian, CA, enjoying the sunshine, the history, and the apple products. We toured an old gold mine, and we had a great time horseback riding. We stayed at a really interesting Bed and Breakfast called "The Wikiup". Thanks to Charlie and Ellie for giving us this wonderful wedding present that we were finally able to use!
Today Menchie and I celebrated quietly together. We had a fun day, visiting a friend's Deli, touring the USS Midway (CV41), and having a beautiful dinner. It was a wonderful day, full of retrospection and hope for the future.
I want to wish Craig, my transplant twin, a very happy birthday too! I hope things are going well for you!
I got my lab results from the day of my last doctor's appointment, I guess it was the 14th. My creatinine was down that day to 1.4, which is much better than it was the day before. I had a bunch of other tests done yesterday, and will be getting a flu shot tomorrow, since I am in a very high risk group. In the next month or so, I will start getting childhood vaccinations again.
Remember Alexis? I think today is her 6 month anniversary. She is doing pretty well, although she has had some GVHD and her blood counts are still low but holding steady for the most part. Alexis is having lots of fun with her Mom and their new endeavor Gold Ribbon Crafts. Their beautiful bead creations can be found on the internet at http://goldribboncrafts.tripod.com. Proceeds are donated to organizations like Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Make A Wish. Take a look and feel great about a purchase that helps so many people.
Another person to remember today in your prayers is Vern Six. Vern is helping us set up our anti-Spam business, but is having some health problems and spent much of the last week in the hospital. I am sure he would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Lab Results |
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Blood Cell Type |
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| WBC | 4.5 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 3.6 | nr |
| RBC | 4.20 | 4.14 | 4.52 | 4.36 | nr |
| HGB | 13.0 | 13.1 | 14.3 | 13.9 | nr |
| PLT | 130 | 200 | 211 | 200 | nr |
I hope you are all doing well. You all take care now, hear!
Ted
tw@wilcoxent.com
http://www.mzimamall.teammzima.com
http://www.spamknot.com