8/15: The Joy of Being Average

Peter had another appointment at Children's Hospital today. We entered with some trepidation because at the previous appointment we learned that his platelet count had dropped some again. Since his little body is adjusting to a relatively new medication, we knew that most likely we would just be staying the course regardless of today's counts. However, there was the fleeting thought of, "Should we have packed an overnight bag in case the platelet count is so low that we get admitted again?"

We went for the blood draw and then met with the doctors. As we were talking, the results of the labs came back: Peter's platelets were up to 378,000! Talk about surpassing our expectations. We are very happy, as you can imagine, and the doctors are too. Even with the dip in platelets two weeks ago, they are very satisfied with his blood counts overall.

Peter is still taking the medication 6mp and will most likely continue to do so until his first birthday (in March). At that point, we will take him off the medication and see what his body can do on its own. In the meantime, we will only have occasional visits with doctors. Assuming all goes well, he will have a blood draw in six weeks and we won't see the doctors at Children's Hospital until November. One of his doctors, a world-renown specialist for blood disorders like Peter's said, "I'm called in to consult on the really difficult cases. As far as I'm concerned you don't really need me anymore. You're just an average case." We've never been so excited to be average. (But don't worry, we don't plan on letting this doctor go...)

This journey is far from over, but we are certainly thankful to be in a more stable place now. God is good. We appreciate your continued prayers and encouragement, but hopefully we will not have much to post in the coming weeks. Try not to take it personally. It's a good thing.