Rick's blood sugar is doing very good - with little to no medication - on this new diet program. Which is great cause for rejoicing and praising the Lord!!! 

We met with Dr. Cochran this morning.

Saw Dr. Tobin today at 11:30 a.m. Not everything that we had hoped for - but then, not everything that we had feared either ... So ---Some of his numbers were better ... some were about the same. 

Just to let everyone know -  Rick says that he is feeling GOOD! Says that he feels better than he has felt in a LONG time! 

Sometimes trusting God is the hardest thing to do.Not because of GOD  - but because of my own humanity.

We went to the doctor this past Wednesday to get the results of the PET scan. The P.A. came in - sat down.

We wait ... we pray ... we struggle not with flesh and blood - Ephesians 5-6, but with the worries and fears of humanity.PET scan results are tomorrow afternoon ... so we PRAY!!!We have committed to Bless the Name of the Lord no matter what - but still!

I have been so busy with Rick and doctors and tests and research ... haven't had a lot of time for anything else. And we still aren't "done".Sigh.

Dr.'s office called a few minutes ago - nurse said that due to the PET scan being a diagnostic tool, that they cannot give results over the phone.

We went to Dr. Cochran in Paris, TX on Monday. Hematologist.(BTW - we ADORE Trudy ... his nurse!!!)Dr. Cochran came in and talked to us about how the body works ... Kidneys function.The kidneys produce a hormone - Erythropoietin - that is sent to the bone marrow. Bone marrow produces the red blood cells. The lab reports were showing that Rick's kidneys were not producing the hormone, so the bone marrow was not able to produce the red blood cells as needed.

Our "today" actually started around Thanksgiving last year (2011). For the last 3 or 4 years, Rick has gotten a cough/congestion about twice a year. Usually about the time the weather makes a drastic change. The last round of it, we went to the doctor and she gave him a steroid shot, followed by a round of antibiotics, Mucinex-D and an inhaler.

About 22 years ago -  around 1990 -, when Rick was 30 years old, he got the first "attack" of gout. Anyone  who deals with this knows that when it hits (especially for the first time) it is not gentle and quiet.

Caught up in the storms of life ...Just trying to breathe in and breathe out ...Survive ...The new year began with Rick not working as much - loads weren't available.