Bledsoe Battle

Wow! We've had more than our share of trials recently. It all began on Halloween (Tyler's birthday) and we've been battling different issues since then.

Probably one of the most challenging is the fact that our mini has been totaled (from a minor collision) due to some damage of the engine block. Tyler was hit by a lady entering a road from a parking lot on Halloween evening. He was completely stopped and she just never saw him there. He's been fighting with the insurance company this week to get fair compensation from them for our vehicle.

So... We are in the market for a vehicle. Ideally, it will be something that is reliable and handles well in the snow. Other than that, we are somewhat flexible.

The other challenge that we are currently facing is a slight blip in Tyler's health. We went in to Dr. M's office on Tuesday for a bone marrow aspiration. This was pretty much a 3 month follow up from his last bone marrow test to see how his body has been responding to the Gleevec. His blood test that day revealed a low platelet count, which is one of the danger signs for Ty. He's been hovering in the upper 100's (175-190 range) for several months, but this test showed him down at 106. The normal range is 150-400 for platelets.

I asked the doctor if we needed to be worried about anything for our upcoming trip and he immediately got worried. We have decided that the mere thought of a week away with me stresses Tyler out completely, so his body's response is just his way of trying to avoid a honeymoon.**

Thankfully the doctor got the hint that we were going on our honeymoon regardless and came up with some alternate strategies. Tyler went in for another blood test this morning to see if Tuesday's test was in error. Unfortunately, today's test showed that his platelets dropped down to 86 and his white blood cell count had climbed from 7400 to 12400. Target range for his white blood cells is 4800-10800.

The doctor has taken him off Gleevec for the duration of our trip, but we DO get to head out of town. We could use some prayers that his platelet count climbs back up and he responds well to the Gleevec when he goes back on next week. We don't tell you this to worry you while we are out of town and unavailable; just a message to keep all of you up to date on our crazy life.

On the upside, we are flying to Miami TOMORROW to begin our long awaited honeymoon. We'll be cruising on the Carnival Valor to Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island, and Honduras. It's going to be so very great for us to get away and spend some quality time together over the next week. We'll take a bunch of pictures of the beautiful places we see and share some of them online when we return.

Much love to you!

Mandy

**Tyler's theory is that the stress of talking to Farmer's Insurance Agents has caused the unusual spike in his WBC and drop in platelets. Also, the bone marrow extraction involves a needle penetrating his sternum, so he thinks that wound may cause some of the white blood cell spikes.