Chipping Away

Here's a short and sweet report based on today's blood test: after the blood transfusion, the brief time on the steroid and chemo, and last week's time off from the chemo, my numbers have improved! Hemoglobin and platelets have inched up, along with red and white blood cell counts. And..... (you've all been wanting to know) .... the trough from the steroid let down was a little less severe. So that gives me a lot of hope that when we complete the treatment cycle, the drugs will have done some good and I will have a little more zip.

We celebrated after the blood test by having lunch with friends at the Sheraton, on the Cuyahoga River, in Cuyahoga Falls. It so happens that, this very day, they are beginning the work of removing a dam that stands just outside the Sheraton. Two dams are being removed this summer, which will restore river health and bring the original river bed back into view. Supporters have been working on this for many years. Kayackers are itching to get in the water! The bottom half of the picture above shows the river in it's natural form just downstream from the dam. Beautiful, right!!!???  The top half of the picture shows the barge moving into place above the dam so that the excavator can begin chipping it's way across the dam. They say it will be like eating an ear of corn, chipping away a few inches at a time all the way across the dam, and back again.

I'm all for chipping. Today, I begin a 21 day cycle of the pricey chemo pills. It will be good to know as I watch pieces of the dam coming down, that the pills are doing the same thing on my myeloma cells.

Thanks again for all your prayers.

****You can watch the dam coming down too by going to: http://cfo.cityofcf.com/web/ and clicking on "Dam Cam". Come to think of it, watching the dam cam might be a good back drop, and make a holy scene for offering up our prayers!

Have a wonderful day!