Welcome to the my world!!!

Hello friends and family. Apparently blogging is very popular, and I thought it could be a great way to get info to all of you at once. Assuming I keep up with this blog, I intend to use it to share family stories, the good, the bad, and the whatever else happens.

If you have been following the current events of my little family lately, you know that Mark is currently in the hospital with low white cell counts. This has definitely been a rollercoaster ride. For those who do not know the happenings or are missing details, here you go.

Basically in March, Mark started coughing alot, which became really annoying because he is a loud cougher. Anyway, I finally convinced him to go to the doctor Friday March 25th. He was diagnosed with bronchitis. He took his meds and started feeling better. Saturday April 2nd he started feeling bad again, and by Monday April 4th he felt so bad he went back to the doctor. The doctor said he developed pneumonia and put him on a new antibiotic. Tuesday April 5th, he had lots of pain and vomiting, so Wednesday April 6th, he went to the doctor, and she sent him to the hospital for 24 hours of observation, fluids, and antibiotics.

At the hospital, they decided to keep him for 48 hours. Then blood tests showed his white cell count and platelet counts are low - really low. For those who are unfamiliar, white cell counts should be somewhere between 4.0 and 5.0 - Mark's bounce between 1.3 and 1.8. Basically this means his body cannot fight any infection, even a simple cold. So, that new information began a series of antibiotics and blood tests trying to find a viral cause. All the tests came back negative. The doctors generally agreed it was the pneumonia causing the low WBC and sent Mark home with a WBC of 1.7 and antibiotics on Tuesday April 12th (yes, 24 hours turned in to 6 glorious days of CT scans, chest x-rays, and daily 6 am blood tests).

Friday, April 15th Mark had a followup and his WBC was 1.4. The doctor greenlit us to go on vacation for Spring Break to Panama City Beach with food restrictions, additional antibiotics, and multiple daily temperature checks. We had a great time at the beach for a week with Brodie, playing in the sand, eating at Margaritaville (3 times cause Brodie loved the airplane in the restaurant), and just hanging out as a family. By the time we returned to Atlanta on Saturday April 23rd, Mark's temp was bouncing between 99 and 101 degrees so we came to the emergency room.

As I type this, we are sitting in the hospital - again. Mark's WBC is 1.5ish. Tomorrow's exciting plans include lots of blood tests for a variety of viral infections and the delightful bone marrow biopsy. The bone marrow biopsy is pretty scary. First of all, they will basically stick a needle in Mark's lower hip bone and remove some of the fluid (that's the marrow) and a small sliver of his bone (both of which will replace themselves). Then the pathologist will examine the samples to see if they see any concerns that may equal leukemia, lymphoma, and an assortment of other not-so-great problems with his bone marrow. These results will help identify or eliminate possible causes for the low WBC, and may help guide any needed treatment. We will get preliminary results after about 24 - 48 hours, but any additional testing may take a few more days.

So, that is where we stand now. We are both nervous about the upcoming tests and possible results. We are more than ready to return to our normal life. We are seeking as many prayers as possible, and we are enormously grateful for the love and support so far.