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Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas day, 2011

Beth is still getting fevers, fighting headaches and things like that, and so she probably won't get to come home for at least a few days. But it seems as if most of the initial complications are behind her -- the doctor noted that yesterday was probably "the first day of engraftment", which is the designation when (among other things) the "absolute neutrophils" number is over 500 for three days in a row. In fact, Beth's white blood cell count went on successive days from zero, to 0.10, to .29, to 1.13, to 2.0, which means she's no longer neutropenic and is fighting infections on her own.

We spent Christmas in the hospital yesterday -- my kids spent the day with my brother and sister. Beth's hair has been falling out in clumps, and so my older two sons came in and gave us the buzz cut. It's a traumatic thing for a woman to lose her hair; I wanted to try to make her laugh (as much as I possibly could), and so I went first.


8 comments:

  1. She looks better than you do, John.

    Get a hat :)

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  2. I relate, I do wish the very best for your wife and yourself. May God heal her and may God bless your family. Brian

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  3. Ron, she's always been better looking than me. I'm the proverbial "ugly-guy-with-the-beautiful-girl" that you hear about every once in a while.

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  4. At least you had the option to lose your hair!

    Thanks for the updates, John. Many blessings to you and yours!

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  5. Thanks Constantine. Being a Calvinist, of course, I had no option but to lose my hair, either.

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  6. Well, it's easier for God to number the hairs on your head, John!

    God bless you and Beth!

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  7. Hi Truth, yeah, God needs all of our help that He can get. Thanks!

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