Journal entry by Jane Gauger —
Dear Family and Friends,
We are pleased to be able to write that Steve is s l o w l y gaining weight but has been getting STRONGER since we last sent out a post. He has gained about 8 pounds and is now a whopping 138 pounds! He is walking well without assistance in the home, and outside he "carries" a walking stick and uses it as needed. The walker still comes in handy for longer walks. Meanwhile, he has been working on crossword puzzles, card games and Jane's quizzes to sharpen the cognitive side and wake up the short term memory loss. (Do you think it is a bit convenient that Steve "forgot" where things were in the kitchen cupboards?)
This was the 4th and final week for the home health care visits. He was approved for it because of his very low immune system (he may never get back good B cells). He has not had another infection since July 1st, but his digestive system is still having difficulty adjusting (which also may be long-term). It was so helpful to have a nurse, PT and OT therapist come to the home every week to answer questions and encourage Steve, and giving him yet another new exercise. He will continue with out-patient PT appointments - especially needed for his right dropped foot (better than Jane reminding him to walk "heel - toe").
July 30th was Steve's 90 day follow-up appointment at Froedtert, reassuring us that his lymphoma is still in remission. We will continue with the clinical study's follow-up visits every 30 days and in early November he will have a PET scan and bone marrow biopsy.
Since Steve's health has stabilized, we will not be adding more posts to Steve's Caring Bridge site. It really was a good tool to share this part of our life with our extended family and friends, and best of all, to receive the prayers and encouraging words from all of you. Words cannot express how much we appreciated this. You daily uplifted us and our family.
The apostle Paul wrote letters to the early congregations too. In his letter to the Ephesians he used the "armor of God" imagery to encourage them to stand against the devil's schemes. In the end, this is the biggest challenge in life. He concludes with these verses:
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18
We are pleased to be able to write that Steve is s l o w l y gaining weight but has been getting STRONGER since we last sent out a post. He has gained about 8 pounds and is now a whopping 138 pounds! He is walking well without assistance in the home, and outside he "carries" a walking stick and uses it as needed. The walker still comes in handy for longer walks. Meanwhile, he has been working on crossword puzzles, card games and Jane's quizzes to sharpen the cognitive side and wake up the short term memory loss. (Do you think it is a bit convenient that Steve "forgot" where things were in the kitchen cupboards?)
This was the 4th and final week for the home health care visits. He was approved for it because of his very low immune system (he may never get back good B cells). He has not had another infection since July 1st, but his digestive system is still having difficulty adjusting (which also may be long-term). It was so helpful to have a nurse, PT and OT therapist come to the home every week to answer questions and encourage Steve, and giving him yet another new exercise. He will continue with out-patient PT appointments - especially needed for his right dropped foot (better than Jane reminding him to walk "heel - toe").
July 30th was Steve's 90 day follow-up appointment at Froedtert, reassuring us that his lymphoma is still in remission. We will continue with the clinical study's follow-up visits every 30 days and in early November he will have a PET scan and bone marrow biopsy.
Since Steve's health has stabilized, we will not be adding more posts to Steve's Caring Bridge site. It really was a good tool to share this part of our life with our extended family and friends, and best of all, to receive the prayers and encouraging words from all of you. Words cannot express how much we appreciated this. You daily uplifted us and our family.
The apostle Paul wrote letters to the early congregations too. In his letter to the Ephesians he used the "armor of God" imagery to encourage them to stand against the devil's schemes. In the end, this is the biggest challenge in life. He concludes with these verses:
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18
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