April 30, 2008 GREAT NEWS!

Carol went to the orthopedic-surgeon's office and left with something different than she has from the previous arthritis doctor - hope instead of pills. We saw the x-rays of the knees and her right knee is bone on bone. He first gave her a shot of cortisone into the knee and then advised us of a new procedure called Synvisc. This is a series of three shots into the knee that lubricates the joint. He said that this is a procedure that will probably put off the inevitable full knee replacement for months or longer. As we were leaving he said "We can help you." Sweet words that Carol has not heard before. The shot she got took the majority of her pain away almost instantly. "For the first time in a long time, I feel I can walk without hurting." Soon after she got home she took a warm bath. Another first for quite a while. She has had to shower because she could not lower herself into the tub and then get up and out without extreme pain. We really appreciate the kind words and prayers that we have received from so many of you. Hopefully, we can soon restart our traveling commentary again as we get out into this beautiful land. We enjoy sharing our sights, sounds, smells and experiences with you all.