Wednesday's Appointment, and a New Plan

The report from the visit with Dr. Stadtmauer at Penn was good. He feels that the chemotherapy is working effectively against the myeloma. Dad's platelets have climbed up into the 80s, indicating that he really is producing his own. They've decided that Dad can stop his trips to Abington for transfusions, unless the blood drawn by the nurse who comes to the house indicates another drop. His hemoglobin (red blood cell) counts are also up, though his white blood cell count has stayed at the recently reduced level; the report on the protein levels is not yet out.

The new plan is for Dad to return to Penn on Tuesday for the next round of chemo. This is earlier than expected, so Mom and Dad will get less of a break, but the doc feels that it's best to get while the gettin's good--to capitalize on Dad's gains now.

Thank you for persevering in prayer for Dad. Please continue to pray that his white blood cell count would improve, and that he would be protected from infections over the next few days. Pray that Dad and Mom would have the endurance they need for this chemo marathon.