A Week of Progress

"What did you do today?” I asked Jeff when I got home from work.

“I walked through my shop,” he told me.

“Oh? And what did you do there?” I asked.

“I walked through my shop.”

That was last Monday’s big achievement.  On Tuesday he did some light housework and spent about a half hour in his shop which ended shortly after he gave himself an abrasion with the orbital sander.  He was relieved that it only bled a little and not onto his work.  By Wednesday he could do some errands and he spent an hour on the stool in his shop.  Thursday after his follow-up doctor’s appointment (all good news), he spent the rest of the day in his shop and then he walked .7 miles to the car shop to pick up his truck which was in for inspection.  This was a route he has taken before but it was in the 20s and he has a limp.  He said it felt as if it took a very long time to get there.  He hobbled across Bridge Street at a crosswalk during rush hour but wasn’t fast enough for one impatient driver who raced by as soon as he possibly could.  Jeff related this to me while simultaneously demonstrating his ankle’s slightly improved range of motion.

At Jeff's follow-up appointment, Dr. Sullivan said, "I told you that you're not allowed to do housework, right?"

"You're kidding!"  Jeff was alarmed.

"Yes, I'm kidding," Dr. Sullivan said.

In addition to dispensing humor, the doc gave Jeff the go-ahead for a upcoming road trip to see his donor, Nicole.  I had been worried that inactivity, long hours spent in the car, might cause more clots to form.  Dr. Sullivan said to stop every couple of hours to walk and all would be fine.  He also defined "awhile" (as in how long Jeff's leg would be swollen) as "two more weeks."  You might think the swelling would go down gradually but it does not seem to be showing any signs of diminishing.

Sunday we attended church after having missed a couple of weeks due to Jeff's illnesses.  Many people welcomed Jeff back and were glad to see him looking fit.  The older women gathered around to ask about his hospital experience and which blood thinner was he on.  As we got in the car to go home, Jeff grumbled, "Great.  Now I have something in common with the old ladies."  There are certainly worse things.

Sadly, we had learned that Mike, our church's "second miracle," had died after surviving just a few weeks with a new pair of lungs.  The news hit Jeff, me and our entire congregation quite hard.  There was audible distress in the sanctuary as we heard the news and felt deeply sorry for his family.

We ask for prayers for Mike's family as well as all those who have lost loved ones to horrible disease.  And prayers, please, for safe travels for our trip to Georgia to see Jeff's blood sister, Nicole.