Monday, January 29, 2007

The cloud is lifting

This is the 6th day after surgery and Andrea told the doctor that the cloud now looks more like a haze that she is seeing through. After his usual thorough examination, he noticed that she was reading the letters that she could see faster than before. That is a good indication that the membrane peel took away some of the blank spots she was experiencing before. It is still going to take time for the rest of the steroid to absorb, swelling to go down and the retina to settle. She sees the doctor again in 10 days. In the meantime, she is going to Physical Therapy at M.D. Anderson to strenghten her back and feet. It is unreal how much the body can get de-conditioned in 61 days and how long it takes to try to regain strength.
Thank you for continuing to check the blog and pray for Andrea's sight. It means so much to her and all of us. We continue to pray for you too.
Love to all,
Kathy

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

One step back but hopefully more than 100 forward


Since it had been less than a week at St. Luke's for Andrea's left eye cataract surgery, she had to bandage up her left eye. Then after surgery for her right eye Tuesday, she was a 'sight to be seen'! Everything is blurry for her now since it took the doctor nearly 2 hours to peel off scar tissue and put in a steroid injection to try to minimize swelling that has persisted for a year. He said it would be a week for the steroid to absorb and even longer for the retina to settle down. Nonetheless, we are prayful and hopeful. We take tasks day by day, and Andrea has a great attitude attempting to deal with everything. It is a great comfort to know you are praying. Thank you!
She sees the doctor Monday for an interim assessment.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Awesome Marathoners!


Linda and Ann finished the marathon! They are the two in the purple jerseys. We caught the picture of them between mile 8 and 9. They still had smiles on their faces! We are so appreciative of them. Thank you for your dedication.

Andrea's Jan. 17 cataract surgery went as the doctor planned, but when the patch was removed Thurday, she is seeing crooked and double. The doctor said the left eye could/should/maybe work itself out in the next 3 months, but if it doesn't, there are more surgeries they could do. In the meantime, Andrea is gearing up for a retina surgery on Tuesday Jan. 23 on her right eye. At present she can see 20/70 near vision with this eye. Her retina doctor is striving to get Andrea driving again with her right eye. I feel like a broken record, but please pray for this surgery Tuesday. Everyone has been so wonderful to pray. We have prayers of thanks for you, and including your life struggles.
Love to all,
Kathy

Friday, January 12, 2007

Cheers for the "Marathoners"


We are so grateful for Linda Jarnagin and Ann Locke. They have been preparing for Sunday's Chevron/Aramco Houston Marathon for months. Both Linda and Ann raised their goal for their generous donation to the Texas Gulf Coast Leukemia Society which provides so much support to the fight for lives and research for a cure. Also, we give a special thanks to all who donated to this worthy cause. We need to pray for good weather because the forecasters are not sure when the wintery blast will hit Houston. Linda and Ann said they are taking all kinds of weather gear. We have confidence they will make it through! A local TV channel will cover the event Sunday morning and the online site is www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com where you can go to "athlete alert information" to follow their progress. These are two very special ladies who are driven by Andrea's struggle for life and health, and we appreciate them so very much.