Lung Improvement

Chris had a CT scan and a number of doctor appointments last week to have her severe coughing looked at. In the end, it seems as if she had a case of both bronchitis and some pneumonia in her left lung. As an infection, she could have picked this up anywhere, but the stronger antibiotic seems to have made a difference over the weekend. She has almost stopped her continous coughing and thus is not coughing up blood either. Her doctor and the CT scan showed something called "ground glass" in her lung, which is basically scarring. In the end, this does not appear to be a long term problem and should resolve it self shortly.

Unfortunately Chris was unable to go to Florida to visit her parents. She really deserved a few days sitting in the sun, relaxing, warming herself up after the winter, but better safe than sorry. It is always a tough decision, the balance between being cautious and living your life. We can't hide in a cave the rest of her life, and she deserves to enjoy a normal existence. Yet that comes with risks of infection, and other issues. I am encouraging her to start getting back to normal, with travel (short distances for now), normal activities (hopefully some easy skiing this coming weekend), and continued daily exercise. She is anxious to get out in her gardens and I know she is looking forwared to summer, which she had none last year of course.

Chris did get a front page picture of her hugging Stephen in the local paper last week from his arrival home from the bike trip. She of course hates it, but it shows her great happiness and strong emotion as she greeted him after his incredible ride. So many peopl have been inspired by this story. Stephen received a very powerful letter, with a very nice donation to the Amyloidosis Research Foundation from a woamn who's husband passed away primarily due to lack of a diagnosis. As she stated, they kept treating the sympoms and not the cause, thus delaying possible treatment. By the time he was evaluated at BU Medical, he had lost an opportunity for aggresive treatment. This is exactly why awareness is so important. With the funds Stephen has been raising, donated by so many incredibly generous people, it is his intent to help prevent these stories from happening. Of course, like any rare disease, it will be a continuing battle.

Hopefully I can get Chris out on the slopes this weekend, and hopefully my plan to hit a few tennis balls with her comes true soon. She has been through an incredible year, and it is time to expand the horizon a little bit before we go back for the big 12 month evaluation in June.

Thanks for your ongoing support, interest, and well wishes to Chris. It means a great deal.