Stable is good right?

Today Jim had an appointment downtown at the transplant clinic to check up on his white blood cell count and the status of his CMV. This is the second lab draw with a negative CMV status which is good however slightly confusing because I was under the impression that once someone is CMV + that they are always CMV+, but it is a matter of the amount. But I will take the -CMV and just be happy in my ignorance. His white blood cell count remains low however stable so the doctors do not seem terribly concerned. He is now showing a 3.6 WBC where normal is 4.0-11.0. On another front Jim's red blood cell count is the highest I have ever seen. Creatinine and pancreatic enzymes are also stable, as well as his glucose.

He has an appointment for another lab draw in two weeks with phone follow up, and pending results his next in clinic appointment is in 4 weeks.

Prayer Requests: labs remain stable, white blood cell count continues to rise, thanks for stable results today

Bible Verse: : "Give thanks for the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever. " Psalms 107:1

CM...what?

Jim has been diagnosed with CMV, also known as cytomegalovirus. It is a virus that most of us with a typical immune system fight off everyday but since he pretty much doesn't have one of those he couldn't. We are unsure of where he picked this virus up since you can get it just about anywhere but I tried to pin point it and have called my doctor and our vet thinking that maybe the cat is the culprit but she's not. Of course Jim tells me to relax but I am just not that great at relaxing. Since he was found to be positive for the virus he is going back on another medicine. He will have to take this medication for at least 3 months. We are trying oral meds first and if his white blood cell count doesn't bounce back then he will be admitted for IV medications for a couple of days. Luckily eventhough he has this virus he doesn't feel too bad. He began running a low grade fever yesterday but minimal other symptoms. If we hadn't run his labs we probably would have just thought he had a cold. Luckily we are still doing check ups so they caught it early enough to not do any damage to his new organs. (at least that is what I am telling myself)

His creatinine on Tuesday was 1.7 so that is within his norm. He likes to bounce between 1.5-1.8. His pancreatic enzymes are holding strong and behaving really well so that is a blessing.

Other than that no other big news for Jim- I think that quiet is nice!! Hopefully it will calm down even more now with the new medication.

Prayer Requests: Medication works and fights the virus with white blood cell count bouncing back, stable pancreatic and kidney numbers continue, happy pumping for our dear little friend Parker A.

Bible Verse: So Jim felt camaraderie with the story of David and Goliath today so I thought that I would share a verse. David (Jim) and his personal battle with Goliath (CMV).

"So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine." I Samuel 17:50 ...We can do all through Christ who strengthens us.