Medical Update (and Snow!)

Joyce and I are here in El Dorado California, still getting tested to find out why I have such a high eosinophil count in my blood. So this week I have been getting a chunk of skin and several vials of blood removed along with some other tests. Next week I am looking at a cat scan and other tests. The edema is slowly getting better but I am still a bit swollen and need to stay horizontal for a good part of the day. We hope, with the tests this week and next week, to find the culprit messing with my blood, or to eliminate 75% of the possibilities. My prayer is that this first round of tests finds the problem and we can begin the process to take care of it. If it does not find the culprit, the next round of tests are designed to reveal more serious causes. Again, it is all in God’s hands.

PIU has begun the new semester without me. It is a little hard to even write that last sentence. I have been leading the school for the past 14 years and it is a little weird to be on the outside. Our board chairman, Howard Merrell, is there to fill my seat until I can return. I appreciate he and Kathy changing their plans for 2017 to meet this need. Please continue to pray for Howard and for all the faculty, staff and students at PIU. That is what I am doing.

Finally, earlier this week we had a light dusting of snow. It was beautiful, but made even more beautiful by the fact that I did not need to go out into the cold. We are bracing for another big storm this weekend, but it is unlikely to bring snow according to the weather man. I am hoping to be well enough to go to church tomorrow but we will see. So far, I have only been going out to see doctors and do lab testing. Thank you for praying for Joyce and me.