Hi, sweet Journey family and friends. There’s a lot to tell you, so pull up a chair. This could take a while :)  First of all, please know how very much we love you, and miss you, and pray for you.

Now, to catch you up a bit about what’s been going on with both of us: 

I completed my second treatment at Duke, and, so far, I’m tolerating the treatments okay. I feel weak and unsteady for a few days afterwards, and many of my lymph nodes swell and become painful as well, but that usually lasts for only a week or so.

The primary concern is, and will continue to be, my lab counts. There was a significant decrease after treatment one, so, our prayer is that they’ll hold steady and level out as my treatments continue. 

I haven’t experienced improvement yet.  My nightly fevers and pain continue, but that’s to be expected, according to my doctors, as it usually takes several months for these infusions to become effective.

We understand that I will most likely continue to need oxygen, but if we can preserve the lung function I still have, there will be no need for a lung transplant, and that is the goal. We are hopeful and encouraged about this new treatment plan, and fully expect great improvement over the coming months.

My Jimmy Carroll has been unwell. He’s been really sick, actually. He’s had asthma for years. It usually manifests in the spring, and it usually responds successfully to treatment, but not this year. 

He has been through at least eight or nine rounds of prednisone, but each time he’s come off of it, his asthma has flared. His cough has been incessant, and has resulted in several cracked ribs. 

On Tuesday morning, Jimmy’s breathing became constricted, and his o2 sats were really low, at 88-90, so our primary care doctor told me that Jimmy should go to the ER, to make sure that we weren’t dealing with pneumonia, or something more serious. 

He was there most of the day, and, after numerous tests and scans, was sent home with a diagnosis of severe asthma, refractory to treatment, along with four broken ribs. (No COVID.)

We have a good plan, now, with thrice daily nebulizer treatments, and breathing exercises. Breathing deeply is difficult and painful for him, right now, with the fractured ribs, but it’s necessary, if he is to avoid developing pneumonia. He already has small places at the bases of both lungs that aren’t inflating well, so the breathing exercises are vital.  

His treatments will take time to adequately control his asthma, but we are hopeful that this new regimen will get the job done. 

I would be so grateful for your prayers on his behalf. It’s hard for me to see him struggle, and I’ll be honest—we’re really tired. We’re weary, but, we’re still laughing (and crying) and loving. 

We have discovered, through this, that Jimmy is a much better caretaker than I, and I am a much better sick person than he. Y’all he has been taking care of me for three years! August 16th will be three years since my lymphoma diagnosis, and he has served me with the sweetest spirit. 

I, on the other hand, feel like he has been sick for five years! I don’t know how he’s done it all this time. We talked about it, though, and finally came to this conclusion: He’s a baby.

Just kidding, guys. (He read this before I posted it.) He’s the man. He’s my man. He’s the best man I know, so if you would please pray for him, I would be so grateful. 

Thank you. We love you so, so much.