Sunday +11 (11:00 AM)

Well, I didn't update the blog last night. There weren't a lot of changes since the 1:30 PM report. Today is another beautiful Spring day in Rochester!

Jackie did well last night. She continues to have problems with fluid. She is still retaining a lot and it refuses to come off. This morning her face had significant swelling. As the day progresses it seems to be getting better.

Her counts continue to improve for the most part. Her RBC count did drop a bit from yesterday. It is down to 9.6. It is normal to see some fluctuation on all the counts. The most important count at this point is the WBC count. It rose from 1.5 yesterday to 1.7 today. The WBC count largely determines the neurtrophil count, so a rise in WBC count means her immune system is improving.

Her platelets also rose to 26 today. For me this is good news because it was the platelet portion of her blood she had so many problems with last fall. At one point she was at 2 for her platelet count. Normal is more than 150.

As I write she is cooing over some cute origami bunny rabbits sent by Inj-jen Shih. They will join the swan by the TV set in the apartment when she returns. She has a whole family she can place on her window shelf. She also receive a selection of teas. Thank you! She was getting tired of the standard Lipton teas they have here. Tea and water have been one of the few things she felt like drinking.

She spoke to the kids on the phone last night. That tells us she is getting better:) She still doesn't feel like talking to anyone on a regular basis, however. So if you can please hold the phone calls just a little longer she will appreciate your patience.

Until later,

Bruce and Jackie
From Rochester, MN