Another really cold day in Zion, I think it did not get out of the low 40s but then I didn't have an thermometer with me.
Even with feet that felt like bricks Jeri had a good therapy session and when she was through with that she had a short 'lay me down to sleep' session and then she was whisked away to dialysis for a three hour session, which was a good one and Lee was there to visit with her mom. They took 2.5 liters off her body and did it without causing any stress to the blood pressure and she was somewhat refreshed. When that was over we went back to the hospital and Lee brought in a box or two and decorated Jeri's room so it looked like Christmas; it is very festive and does bring the Christmas spirit into our lives. I think it took Lee an hour or more to do all of the things she wanted to do and I bet that every one in the facility is envious. :)
At six o'clock they finally brought Jeri her dinner so I carried it to her and made sure she was ready for the night and I kissed her good night and brought my self home.
Oh, how I miss her!

In my excitement of the BYU and Utah basketball game last night I got the score wrong but then every one is entitled to make one mistake; the score was 26 to 23, I forgot that pesky field goal. :)
This morning at ten we went to Sacrament Meeting at the hospital and enjoyed the music and we had two full time missionaries talk to us; one was from the South and the other was from deep Arizona, in fact his home town is next to the Mexican Border south of Tucson and they both give good talks.
Today was another good day; after church Jeri walked about 150 feet and then did some muscle building in her legs and also did some OT, which also is a important part of the therapy.
This afternoon Lee and Cliff came to see Jeri and while they were there Lee gave Jeri a pedicure, which puts her next to heaven. They came right after they spoke in the Sixth Ward.
It was colder than a Mother-in-laws kiss this morning, it seems that winter is trying to get an early start but then we need the moisture in the mountains for next summer, so my attitude is 'let it come'.

GO BYU; THEY JUST BEAT UTAH 26 TO 20, IF UTAH HAD BEEN PLAYING ANYONE ELSE I WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR UTAH!
Today was another good day for Jeri; she had a good therapy session and it seems to me that she is getting stronger every day. Jeri said her feet and hands were numb today but she did all of the things she was scheduled to do. Even though she is getting stronger I am not suggesting she will be home in a week but it is my hope that it won't be too long. I am not suggesting when it will be but we both are praying for a rapid recovery. It seems that the wasted dialysis session didn't do her any harm. I believe that her outing on Thursday was a great blessing to her in many ways!
It was really cold this morning and there was ice on the rood where it was shaded but that soon melted and the sun come out but it didn't get warm.
Once again we thank all of you for your prayers, cards and other things you do for us; especially our family members, I don't know what we would do with out you!

My day started with a bang, well not a bang, but with a ring tone. It rang once and then it become a missed call and this was at 5:00 am. When I looked to see who had called me this early and then hung up on me I discovered it was Terry, so being the kind of father I am I decided to wait until he had time to wake up and be coherent so I called him about eight and I told him the next time he calls at five he needs to talk to me; his excuse was he was the driver for Black Friday in Missoula and had to see that five women were where they wanted to be when they wanted to be there, so I forgave him and gave him my condolences.
When I got to the hospital about 8:00 am Jeri said she had another great night and was feeling really good, which is a great thing for her and me. She had a super therapy session and walked well over 100', and then she had a great therapy session doing the other things she does every day. After that was over we got her ready for dialysis and she left the facility about eleven and was doing the dialysis thing shortly before noon. When I saw how much fluid they were going to pull off Jeri I was concerned but I know I am not supposed to make comments so I just rolled my eyes in amazement, and in the end, her session was, in her and my opinion, was a waste of three hours and we are hopeful that has no side affects over the week-end.
On the way back to the facility Jeri's bus broke down and had to be fixed so she was really late, and my journey ended in a bang; as I was wending my way through the parking lot a young woman backed out of a parking spot and slammed into the right side of my pickup so of course I stopped and said we needed to call for a policeman, which I did and he came and gave each of us a form to fill out and then he gave each of us a copy of the other form so we could give it to our insurance company. There were no tickets and lecture; I think the insurance people will have us get a quote on how much it will cost to fix our vehicle and then they will tell us to get it fixed and my insurance will pay for my repairs and hers for her repairs. I got back to the facility just minutes after Jeri did. She was bright eyed and was waiting for food when I left about five-thirty.
I can see a difference every day on how much better her legs are and I am not sure what the lower dose of Thalidomide has to do with it but I won't be surprised to discover it has an impact.

I HOPE Y'ALL HAD A REALLY GOOD THANKSGIVING!!!
Jeri called me rather early this morning, in fact, while I was in the bathroom getting myself cleaned up for the festivities she called three times and on the third time I was by the phone and answered it. Her message was; "I had a great night and I am having a great morning and I think this the best day I have had in a very long time!" My response was "that is wonderful and the day is only going to get better." When I arrived at the hospital she was ready to get herself ready for the day ahead of us. She changed out of her PJ's and but on some clothes that she would be comfortable in and then we fiddled away the morning until 15 minutes to noon then Jayci showed up to take Jeri to the church in Rose Park where we have our annual Thanksgiving party. A gaggle of grandsons' were waiting there to get her out of the car and into the church but they had to wait for me to get there with the wheelchair and walker, which was just a few minutes after she got there, and very soon she was settled down in a soft chair and was ready for the day. We, Jeri and I, watched the family associate with each other and some of them haven't seen each other for at least six months. Malissia and her kids, except for Eric, who is still in the South doing what he is doing for the Army, Lee and Cliff, Kevin and Becky, Jayci and Dann and Dann's brother, Chris and Karen, Josh and Katie, Maren and Andrew, Judd and Jessie and Riley and of course Mike and Patrice who puts this thing together every year; I have wondered when our kids will decide that they are too old to do this every year; it is a lot of work and effort.
Shortly after we had finished our meal, which was very Delicious, Jeri said she was ready to go back to the hospital; by the time she was settled in in her own Little room again she had be out and about five hours, which is the longest stint in many months, which is a good sign. After she was settled in bed I kissed her good night and wished her pleasant dreams and then came home to regenerate my energy and make this post.
My wish is that all of my family that was not with us had a great day! So with a glad heart that my sweetheart had a really good day I bid you a fond farewell for a few hours.

Here it is a new day so here is a new blog.
Jeri had another good day at therapy, it seems to me she is getting stronger every day, and her confidence is getting stronger every day, which is a really good thing; there for a while she thought she was never going to get her strength back. I asked her today if there was any difference in her legs since she has been on the lower dose of Thalidomide and her answer was no, but then I know it has only been a few days so we will see how that goes.
Her dialysis session was much better today than on Monday; they tried to get 2.5 liters of water off her body and it seemed to me that was about what it was and they did it without dropping her blood pressure. The dialysis center was giving their patients a Hepatitis shot and one of the staff asked me if I would like one so I said yes so she took into an unused room and shot me in the arm and it seems that there is one or two more to come, when I asked her what the charge was she said it was free; I think that is because I try to always say thank you when they do some thing for Jeri or me. You who know me well would never have thought of me in that light. :)
Seeing that tomorrow is Thanksgiving I wish all of you a happy Holiday and that is also for Scotter in Malaysia.
I am taking Jeri out of the hospital tomorrow and we are going to the church with the rest of the family, we may not be able to stay as long as every one else but at least we will be with some of the family and we wish that all of our family have a very good time. And while you are saying a blessing on the food please offer a prayer for Jeri, as I know you would even without asking.

As most of you know it has been three days since I made a post; and that is because I had a glitch in the Internet, and Mike and Chris won't take any responsibility so I had to fix it myself.
In the last three days, including today, Jeri has had really good therapy sessions and she is getting stronger every day; she has figured out that she has to do the walking thing before she does any other excesses and that has really helped. She walked 150 feet today, which is really good. And the part I like best is that she wants to get about the work and I believe she has more faith in herself and in those who are helping her. A lot of the people in therapy are old and some of them just wont do much work and they tell the therapists to go away and leave them along, which doesn't do them any good, however, some of them are in thier mid-eighties, the one I am thinking about fell and broke her hip so 'they' had to put in a new joint, and it is hard to be too critical but if they want get back to walking they have to do the work.
Jeri was really 'ticked' yesterday (Monday) at dialysis; One of the personnel decided to pull 3 liters of water and Jeri told her it wouldn't work but she tried any way and sure enough in a short time her blood pressure was way low so they had to shut of the water draw and settled for .7 of a liter instead of the usual 2 liters they usually remove. I bet Jeri doesn't let that happen again.
The temperatures are really freezing cold in the mornings and then warms up to about 4o degrees in the daytime, we have had some snow but very little her in town.
Jeri has asked me to once again to thank all of you who have sent cards and goodies and emails of your support, and I thank you also. It is really great to know we are not fighting this fight by ourselves. So keep those prayers going; I think they are the biggest source of our help!

For the first time since the last few day of July, I missed spending the day with my companion; I went to bed last night in the middle of a shiver episode and even with my room heater running it took quit awhile before I got warm but I finally got that job done, however, it took me awhile to go to sleep and then I had a restless night. I believe I got a cold from those nurses that think they can come to work sick and if they wear a mask they will not spread anything to anyone else but I am here to tell you that they can because Jeri and I each got sick from being at the hospital. Oh, by the way, I should tell everyone that SDCH is not a regular hospital; it is a rehab facility and Jeri is there to get strong in the legs so she can come home.
About ten or eleven this morning I did feel a little better and by noon I was feeling almost as good as normal, it might be that cough stuff I found in the medicine cabinet and after that I found some NyQuil and some DayQuil so took a dose of DayQuil and then I really felt better. I am sure I will be able to go to the hospital tomorrow and then go do dialysis with Jeri. Lee has been sick for the last several days but she just reported to me that is starting to get better. I know that no body appreciates feeling well until they don't feel very good.

Jeri had another good day at therapy; she walked 135 feet, which is really good, and she did other things as well. After therapy we went for a very short stroll outside; it was really cold so we only stayed a few minutes. She has a great attitude and is working hard to get strong so she can come home!
I wish there was more to report but if I did I would have to make it up.

I slept very well last night until 6:30 this morning which was enough to compensate for the lost sleep of last night so I arose and did some cleaning of my abode, which needed it badly.
I got to the hospital about shortly after eight and kissed my sweetheart's honey lips good morning. Today was another good day for Jeri, she told me she had a good nights rest and was ready for the activities of the day. A few minutes after nine we were on our way to the therapy room, when we got there I parked her in the usual spot and then I walked back to the ice machine and filled a cup with ice and Jeri was ready to go to work. She did very well with all of the therapy but what warmed my heart was that she walked farther today than she did yesterday and it appears to me she is getting stronger every day. When she was through with the therapy she was loaded into a bus and delivered to the dialysis center and she was ready for the the three hours of dialysis, which she tolerated very well with out any feelings of fainting and 'they' didn't 'pull' too much water from her to cause in distress. A lady at the center told us that her numbers are really good, however, I have no idea what the numbers are and if I did I wouldn't know what they meant unless someone told me but she sounded like it was a really good thing.
When we got back to the hospital she rested on the bed for about and hour and a half and then she invited me to go home, which was a shock to me. :)
As I am writing this entry the wind is whistling through the trees and making a noise at the windows, which means that the experts may know that it is going to snow tomorrow. It was very cold this morning with some ice on the road, however, very little but it demand a coat to be warm. I still ask you to continue praying for a rapid recovery

I slept about four hours last night, now don't get excited, it was because I had to take care of some business this morning and I got thinking about it and then I focused on it the for the rest of the night except for about four hours; it reminded me of my 'trucking days'. I went to the hospital about seven to give Jeri some things I thought she might need because I knew I wouldn't be back until about 10:00, and I got back at 10:10, just in time to wheel her to therapy, which usually starts at 9:00
With out a question this was the best day for Jeri in, at the least, the last several weeks. She had a great session at therapy, she walked a long way and did all of the things she was asked to do. I told her it did her good to have an outing once in a while. :) I don't think she thought that Tuesday and Wednesday was an outing! I think if she continues to improve like today she will be able to come home in two or three weeks. Oh, by the way, she is getting out of the hospital next Thursday for as long as she has the desire to be eating turkey and pie.
This afternoon I took her for a stroll around the halls of the first floor and when we pasted a room with a lot of windows that face the west she wanted to go outside and sit in the sun so that was what we did for a short time and then the temperature drove us back into the heated building. She does really like to sit in the sun!

I was up rather early and was at IMC to see how my loved one was doing that early in the morning and she was doing very well and had a good night. About mid morning the dialysis person came in and started the removing of water from her body. Shortly thereafter I went to Dr. Child's, he is my Urologist, when he was through he said the only way you could be better you would have to 30, which made my day, and I was there less than a half-hour, which is a miracle in and of its self. On my way back to IMC I got a phone call from SDCH telling me that when Jeri is released from IMC they have to do some paper work so they could get back in the system; I told her I thought there was an 80% chance she would be there today and if not that a 100% chance it would be tomorrow, which would be Thursday.
When I got back to IMC I was told it looked like she would be going back to SDCH today, and that makes me a prognosticator.
While they were doing the dialysis they found some evidence of something may be effecting the dialysis port so they did what needed to be done, and they called the Bountiful facility to tell them them to be sure and take care of it when she goes back, however, they were profuse in their verbiage that there wasn't anything to be concerned about so I leaned back and read some more of the newspaper. As an aside, it is really good that I have a newspaper to take with me every morning so I have something to do while Jeri does all of the work. :)
About two we got the news that they were going to transport Jeri back to Bountiful and then Rob came in the bus and away they went back to Bountiful. I gathered all of the stuff that needed to go with us and I then went down the nine stories to get to the ground level. When I went past the bus Jeri had Rob ask me if I had the Thalidomide and of course I had forgotten so I had to go back up those nine stories and get what I had forgotten, and as I was getting off the elevator when I got back to the first floor I could hear a voice saying "come and get me I am a new flavor of Cookie dough," so I moysed down to the cafeteria and went to the ice cream station and sure enough there it was so I bowed to its enticement and bought a bowl full and it was really good.
When I got back to Bountiful Jeri was in conched in her room and shortly after I got there a PT came in to assess her strength and found that she is some what better than when she left.
I stayed for a short time to make sure she was settled in and then I give her a kiss and hug and bid my adieu. I think it was a good day.

Well, today was a day of much activity, when I arrived at the SDCH Jeri asked me to go back home and get two of her sweatshirts so the way I go. When I pulled up to the curb, at the facility, my phone rang so I answered it and I could hear Jeri yelling "Jay call 911, call 911" so I called 911 and instructed them to room 117 and I then went into the facility and her room where I heard Jeri saying she couldn't breath and there was something wrong with her heart and the nurses arguing about whether she should go to IMC or not; one nurse was saying that it was just an anxiety attack, which really upset Jeri and she said it is not just an anxiety attack. At this time I told the nurse that she was going to IMC because she has always been right when she said something was wrong. By this time the EMT were there and when they heard me say this they put her in the ambulance and the way they went. And I fallowed right behind but they beat me there and had her in the ER and into a room, and the next several hours 'they' were doing a lot of tests on her heart, lungs and other important parts of her body. I did hear the heart word once or twice but I didn't get just what it was all about; that is what happens when your ears are 77 years old and one of those ears is only an eighth of the size it ought to be. They finally said they were going to admit her to the hospital and she was going to go to floor nine, which is the cancer floor. And would be there a day or two, and I don't know what exactly that means; if it were I that said it I would be a couple of days I would know what they said, oh, by the way, they did say it could be a couple of days.
When she arrived on the 9th floor she saw a lot of the staff that was there when she was there and they had a good few minutes saying nice things about each other. :)
When I left she said; "I am going to lick this thing and get back to normal!" She looked better than I have seen her for several days, and that may be because I told her that I talked to Jessica and the the new dosage of the Thalidomide will be here in a few days; she and the doctor thinks this will help get her legs and feet, as well, as her arms and hands back to normal; I pray that it might be so.
Today I saw the frisky and strong person that that I love become somewhat more determined to get back to normal.
Oh, by the way, I had an opportunity to get one of those wonderful Pastrami sandwiches that I used to get when Jeri was there a few months ago. :)

Today we had a blast of winter weather, which I do not like very much; it could wait at least until December!
Jeri had a good night last night and a fairly good therapy session this morning, however, she is still having numbness and weakness in her legs and arms and she thinks it my be due to the Thalidomide, so we called Dr. Litton's office to see if he thought it would be a good thing to cut back on the dosage for awhile to see if the numbness is relieved or goes away. This evening as I was leaving the hospital I got a call from the doctor's office telling me that he was going to cut the dosage in half, which I think is a good thing to try.
Jeri had an usual day at dialysis and she returned to the hospital ready for a nap so she got on the bed and turned on the TV so she could go to sleep but she didn't sleep she watched TV until I left for home.
It is my fondest hope that the change of dosage will help her and she can get her strength back and return home; it is very lonesome in our living area with out her being here.

Well, here it is 7:30 PM and I just got home from the hospital; Lee, Cliff and Jayci were there and I waited until they were ready to leave.
I think Jeri had a good day of therapy and I believe she is getting better every day but she doesn't see the progress that she is making. After the therapy session we went to Sacrament Meeting, which is an interesting thing to see so many people there that have to have help partaking the Sacrament but are willing to do what they have to do to do the things that they they think is important.
After church we returned to her room and visited for a short time and then her lunch was brought to her and it looked really good to me and she verified that I was right. After she had a rest we strolled the facility, however, we didn't go outside but we did go up to the second floor and looked out at the part of the city would could see. We then went back to her room and watched some football and I read some of the newspaper; doesn't sound like much but it was enough for us.
It didn't snow today because it was too cold even for the snowflakes to attempt the trip. I am not sure that the temperature got out of the 30s today and I know it was really cold when I went to the pickup this morning.
In my quest to keep our part of the house clean I took a big bag of magazines and catalogs to the recycling bin, which really cleared a big spot on the floor. :) Well, that is about all that happened to day so I shall say good night to all y'all.

Today was a nasty day, weather wise. When I left to go to the hospital it was snowing and it seemed it kind of snowed most of the day, however, it didn't stick to the road or sidewalks. About noon I headed out to get some lunch and as I was leaving Lee came to see Jeri and shortly after I left Mike and Patrice showed up and all of them were still there when I got back to the hospital, and they stayed and visited for a short time and then they left to do other things on this Saturday. I asked Jeri if the visitors and and all of the talking 'wore her out' and she said "no; it is really good to talk to visitors as long as they are family and I can participate when I want to and don't feel like I have to entertain them."
After they left Jeri and I went for a walk around the facility and when we went past the therapy area Bob (a very good therapist) was there so Jeri decided she wanted to stop and have Bob help her for a while. After a few times getting her up on her legs; it is a wonder to me how these people know what to do to strengthen muscles I didn't know we have. After a few minutes he had her walking down the hall and she walked 120 feet, which doesn't sound like much but it was a great distance for her; I think she feels safe as long as he is by her and has his hand on her gait belt (which is a belt that goes around the waist so someone can help hold her up if she starts to fall), I am hopeful that she will be home in a week or two. I think she is getting stronger every day.
When I got to the hospital this morning I asked her how her night was and she said it was the best she has had in a long time, which warmed the cockles of my heart. When I left last night I thought her spirit's were down and that she was unhappy, which made me unhappy but it seems that I didn't read her mood very well, but then that is not an uncommon thing in our lives.
When I left shortly after five she was looking and acting like she was having a good evening; I pray she has a really good night.

While we were at therapy someone came and talked to Jeri and told her that there was a person that needed respiratory therapy so they needed to be on the second floor so Jeri could share a room with this person or she could go to the first floor and have a private room so Jeri decided on the first floor. After this conversation she had, in my opinion, a good therapy session; I really like what Dom is doing for her. As Jeri was doing some exercise Dom asked me if he could ask me a personal question and of course I said yes. He then asked me what kind of trauma my left ear had suffered so I told him about life with skin cancer; of all of the people I have seen looking at my ear, he is the first one that has ever said anything except Dr. Litton.
At eleven, George placed Jeri in the van, and transported her to dialysis for a three hour session, which really drained vitality from her soul, which is a tough thing to witness happening to your sweetheart. When we got back to the hospital the people who moved Jeri's stuff from the 2nd floor to the 1st hadn't placed things where Jeri wanted them so I stayed for a couple of hours helping get the room like she wanted it; the new room is not as big as the other one but when I left Jeri was getting ready to eat and I think her anxiety was subsiding and she was doing well, however, she doesn't like anyone messing with her stuff, including me. I think we may be looking at a couple of more weeks before she is ready to come home, but then what do I know? It is my prayer that she sleeps soundly and long and is refreshed in the morning.

The morning session of PT wasn't too good for Jeri; she wasn't feeling very well so they didn't push her very much and she did some work but then went back to her room and had a long nap, which seemed to revive her some. At noon I went to KFC for a twister wrap and a root beer, when I got back Lee was there after being in Seattle for a week. While she was there 'they' came again and asked Jeri if she wanted to try therapy again and she said yes so the way we went and she had a great session; Dom (Dominic) worked with her and got her playing some basketball; she sat in her chair and tried to score from there and she had a good workout and then Dom encouraged her get up out of the wheelchair and do some muscle building things in her legs. While he was doing this he noticed that Jeri was favoring her right shoulder so he touched a muscle on the back of her neck and she said it really hurt so he put some heat on it and that made if feel much better, after that she had a good session and was really glad she went. I will put some heat on her shoulder every morning and every afternoon so she can work on her strength. I can see a difference in her strenght every day.

Last night as I left Jeri I said I was glad that I was there to help her and she said she was glad also, which caused me to remember what I said when she was diagnosed with Mylenoma, which was, don't you dare die before I do, and she said why? And my response was because I think it is easier for the first one that dies than it is for the one left. With that said, I repent of my comment and am really blessed to have the opportunity to help her in this fight. I am pleased that I can do things that help her get better and to make things easier for her and encourage her to fight this thing. But most of all I know it is easier to fight when you have some one helping you in that fight and I am pleased that the Lord had me for her when she needed help. I know that I haven't said this very well but you who read this are smart enough to figure out what I mean.

On behalf of Jeri I thank all of you that have sent cards or other things that encourage her, she really appreciate the thoughts and the effort you have gone to.
This morning was another good day of therapy; she is getting her energy back and can stand by herself but of cause she uses a walker. Today she walked well over sixty feet, which is getting better every day. However, it is Wednesday so the dialysis session kind of wipes that away and it takes a few hours to get back to where she was this morning.
I am impressed by the staff at SDCH and at Liberty Dialysis. They are kind, thoughtful, and concerned about what is going on with Jeri. It seems that every dialysis day 'they' take off too much water, which causes her to have cramps in her legs and when that happens they do everything that they can do to alleviate that problem. The therapy people like me involved because I follow with the wheelchair so Jeri can sit when she gets tired; if I am not there they would have to have someone of the staff be doing that work.
The temperature was rather good this morning and the sky was clear but this afternoon the clouds rolled in and it looks like it may rain tonight, and 'they' say it may snow tomorrow evening but I hope 'they' are wrong once again.
It is time to complete this blog and say thanks to all who care what is going on in our lives.

Today was a really good day for Jeri. She was able to get up from the wheelchair and wrap her hands around the walker; she did this several times to build up her leg strength and then she walked for almost 60 feet, and she was grinning that big grin she had when Dr. Litton said the chemicals are working on her Myeloma. I think she has come to the conclusion that she would like to stay, at least through next week at the rehab center, just to make sure she is ready, which I think is a very good thing. Even though it was really chilly today we took a couple of strolls around the area and she acted like she has much more confidence in my ability to push her where she needs to go and can handle the down hill so that she doesn't have a run-a-way wheelchair. She showed more confidence today than she has in many weeks and is pleased with the increase of ability in her legs, which gladdened my heart; I thought it might take more time than this but I will take what I can get.
It was chilly today but no moisture yet but tomorrow it is supposed to rain and the next day 'they' say it might snow here on the valley floor.
Now here is the thing, we can not stop what has made this happen; and that is praying for her!

Today was not a really good day for Jeri; she had some trouble when she tried to stand so she did some other things to strengthen her legs. I think she was disappointed for awhile but the therapist convinced her this was some thing that would help her go up stairs and that seamed to be alright.
She had a good session at dialysis and they are taking a lot of water from her body; she not only has lost water but she has lost at least 50 pounds off her body, which is a really good thing.
It seems that I am getting a lot of exercise because I forget to get every thing from the room when ever we have to go some where, for instance, to dialysis so back I go and retrieve the things I forgot. And then a lot of times I forget to get the same things out of the pickup so I get the exercise of walking back to the pickup but I chalk it up to just trying to get my exercise. :)
Today started being very cool but as the day wore away it warmed up some and was rather nice; that is what happens in November.

Today was somewhat like yesterday. This morning Jeri was involved with PT & OT; she thinks she will be home by the end of this week, which I hope is right but I think it might be at the end of next week. I guess we will have to wait and see who is right; I hope it is she.
The temperatures were rather low today but that didn't keep us from our stroll around the area; I put on my coat and Jeri put on her vest. I thought it was really cold but Jeri said she was comfortable.
Christopher and Karen came to see Jeri this evening and of course they had to visit with me as well. :)
I think Jeri is getting stronger every day.

I asked Jeri a short time ago how she would describe today and she said "it was excellent." And I think that would be my answer as I shared it with her. This morning Mike brought her a container of 'stew', which is really good and I know because I had some the other day. I asked her if she wanted it tonight or if she wanted to wait and her response was "I'll wait and see what they bring me" well, they brought her dinner and she took the lid off and looked and said "I will eat this and save the stew for another day."
She felt good today and had a short PT & OT session today, which is normal for weekends. It is my opinion that she will be another two weeks at the facility to get her strength back in her legs. This afternoon we took a stroll around the complex and it was warm enough that we didn't need any extra to stay warm but then I was doing all of the work. :)
Now don't get complacent with those prayers because they are still needed, and we appreciate every one's concerns for her. I think that fairly sums up today, as far as the saga of Jeri and her travails.

This day is the best day of my life since May of 2009! Jeri had a good session at dialysis but was dreading the ride to IMC to visit with Dr. Litton; for you who might not know he is Jeri's oncologist, however she sucked up some energy within herself and and got herself on the bus and the way she and George, who is the driver, and they way they went to Murry. Mike and Patrice and I were just ahead of the bus. We pulled up to the Cancer Center and wended our way to Dr. Litton's office and then we had to sit for a few minutes and then we were ushered into one of his exam rooms and then we waited for many minutes and Jeri was getting tired and a little depressed and said she wished she hadn't come today.
After 15 or 20 minutes Dr. Litton came to the room and pulled out his paper work and told us of all the numbers of Jeri's work up, which I thought he was rather pleased with and then some one asked what they meant and he said the Thalidomide was doing it's work and the Myeloma is almost in total remission and Jeri had the biggest smile on her face that I have seen in a very long time and it brought tears to my eyes. All of you must know that Myeloma is never cured but it can be kept in remission for a very long time. He knew that Jeri and I didn't get the real impact of what he said so he told us in English that she won't have any other regimen beside the Thalidomide for awhile and now is the time for Jeri to do the work so she will get the strength back into her legs so she will be mobile.
When we got back to the hospital Jeri got on her bed and said she was going to go to sleep and sleep the whole night through.
Now you know why this has been one of the best days of my life; I am sure my sweetheart will be coming home in a couple, remember what couple means in my dictionary, of weeks.
I thank all of you for your prayers and concern, and please be sure to keep those prayers going.

I am delighted to tell you this was a much better day today than yesterday! I arrived at the hospital at eight and she was waiting for breakfast but not with much anticipation; she doesn't think the meals are very good but then neither do I, what ever that counts. At nine we motored on down to the PT facility and Jeri did some exercises that was designed to strengthen her legs but no stair climbing today. I made arrangements with the transportation people to take Jeri to dialysis tomorrow and then bring her back to the hospital so she can change her clothes to go to Dr. Litton for an appointment to see what will be done next. And I am going to pick up a prescription from Dr. Steven's office for Jeri; it is impossible to describe how much we like this man.
This afternoon I took Jeri on a stroll around the facility; I strolled and Jeri rode, which is just the way that ought to be. She really likes the sunshine but she is not very secure in the fact that I can push her up the hills and slow her down on dells but we had a great time; it was warm in the 60s today and 'they' are saying that by the weekend it is going to be in the 70s, which is really good for me.
It is my prayer that she will quickly gets her strength back so she can come home!

It is with great sad heart that I say this was not a very good day for Jeri. At nine o'clock we went to PT, and Kevin and Becky came to see her and we talked to the therapist about her going home Sunday, so the therapist decided it was time to determine if she could walk up stairs, because we have three stairs to climb. Well she walked up the first step and then she tried the second but she couldn't get her right leg to lift her and she fell on her right knee, which caused some more injury; it was a good thing the I and Kevin were close so we could keep her from doing more damage but it took Dom to lift her back in her wheelchair. This was devastated Jeri because she knew it would delay her going home so she was in funk for the rest of the day and carried over to dialysis some, but not very much. I suspect that she will be in the hospital for another two weeks, which is a disappointment for me but it has been hard for her to believe she will ever get home, however, after a long conversation we came up with some ideas that we think will work for us and be good for Jeri.
It was rather cool this morning but it warmed up rather good by noon. I am certain that if we do what we can, the Lord will help us so that things will work to our advantage.

Here it is Tuesday and Jeri had another good day. She had a good day at PT and is doing a good job at walking, which is the crucial thing because it is the thing she needs when she gets home and her OT was just as good but not quite as critical as the PT; It appears that she will be coming home on Sunday. The weather has warmed up some but it will be cooler very soon and if you don't believe me just wait and see.
This is a short message but that can be a very good thing! So I will 'talk' to you tomorrow.

I am happy to report that Jeri had another good day and she tolerated dialysis very well. She is doing well on the walking part of therapy and her legs are getting stronger every day. I bought a device today that she will need when she gets home. She is making noises that she will come home on Sunday and if comes home doing as well as she is now that is great with me. Today was warmer than it has been for many days and that is ok with me because I know that it won't last long. It is the 2nd day of November so I have to get my pickup off the street from midnight until morning so 'they' can keep the snow off the street; so Chris put some sand and paver stones that I bought on the strip of lawn that I park on so I don't make the ruts any deeper than they are now. And the really good news is that I don't get that confounded error banner when I try to make a post, which proves the point that it was the internet's fault and not mine. :)