Jo's platelets were down to 11,000 today, so she has to go into the hospital in Lufkin, TX tomorrow and get a transfusion. When Jo went to see the doctor today, the nurse that drew her blood was named Anna and it turns out that Anna was a ballet student of Jo's when she was in the 4th grade. Anna now has two girls of her own, ages 7 and 9.
Jo's white cells are also down to about 1.6. Normal is 4.1 and higher and Jo's have held pretty steady around 2.3 for the past year. White cells are what fight off infections, so the low white cell counts cause a fair amount of concern. When Jo got an infection a couple of months ago, her white cells dropped to below 1.0 and Dr. Alvarez was freaking out! Okay, maybe he was expressing deep concern. I guess doctors don't really "freak out".
Anyway, the doctor in Lufkin wants Jo to wear her mask more often. I don't know if any of you have seen the masks today, but they are quite nice. They have been ergonomically redesigned to fit the face better than the old days. The only weird thing is that the manufacturers have made them to look just like a duck bill. I'm a little concerned that over time, we will confuse little Anna and instead of "mama" or "dada", her first word might be "quack".
2 comments:
What a beautiful family you have created!
Instead of making such an issue over Jo and her mask - I think all your friends and family should have to also wear a mask when they are around Jo. If everyone has a mask on then it won't be a such a problem. Everyone can be a bunch of QUACKERS!
Instead of having a basket of slippers by the front door and everyone having to remove their shoes to keep the carpet clean - why not have a basket of masks at the front door and everyone who enters must wear a mask?
I checked for Designer Masks on the net yesterday. Suprisingly there were quite a few available.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Szymanski-Thompson family.
Love & Best Wishes, JAM
Dear Tim and Jo,
After blogging, earlier, I realized that I forgot to tell you where I knew you folks from. We met at Rocky Mt. Swing Dance Club. In fact, I complimented Jo, on one occasion, regarding how I noticed an improvement in Shirley Lewis's dancing, after her first private lesson, with Jo.
Anyway, I do hope you get an opportunity to check out: www.whyplankton.com and are able read the article, by Dr. Hugo Rodier and can view the video, "Another Day."
Meanwhile, I can keep my eyes and ears open for anything that might be out there, re Aplastic Anemia.
'Hope all goes well, in Houston, for you. At least you missed hurricane season.
Yours in Health,
Jerry Gayman
303.252.9592
jerggis@yahoo.com
www.frequensea.com/jerryg
www.forevergreenstand.com
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