Blessed!!!

I saw Doc on Monday, and there's some good news to report. I'll count the blessings:

1. My weight is back up to 170 pounds!

2. My CD4 count (an immune cell measurement) is up to 570, the highest it's been since I was diagnosed with AIDS! That's about 25-30% of a "normal healthy" person.

3. I get to stop taklin' one of the most toxic AIDS meds (DDI)!

4. My triglycerides (a side effect of the AIDS drugs) is down from 1,400 to 560!

5. My viral load is down from a high of over a million to 155! (Per ml of blood)

6. The Peripheral Neuropathy I have may (or may not) decrease as a result. Time will tell. At any rate, it's unlikely to get worse!

7. I quit taking the bupropion (a social anxiety drug) several months ago. It used to be very difficult for me to cope with bein' around a lot of people (such as Walmart at rush hour). Bring it on! (Hey, I still don't like it, and who does? But I don't feel like I'm gonna freak out or nothin').

8. I'm actually starting to get noticeably stronger. Meanin', for the first time in nearly twenty years I'm increasin' my energy! It's been a long, slow slog, but jusy knowin' it's possible fills me with hope!

9. Patti and I are gettin' along better than ever. I would be lyin' if I said we had no rough spots, but we are improving...together. Patti is doin' so much better, too. I'm proud of the progress she has made! She is one tough cookie and my love continues to grow for her! :^)

10. I am so thankful for you, my friends, my sisters n' brothers under the pelt!
One could not ask for better friends and family than you guys! :^)

11. And even the painful, depressin' bad times. They are a blessin', because it has helped me grow stronger, increasing my hope, love, and faith, centered around truth.
And it has increased my gratitude and thankfullness. I avoid bitterness n' envy like the plague. I quickly notice, often by readin' what you guys write, when I'm takin' what I ought to be thankful for...for granted. And O! How I cherish and love my God given Liberty!

12. And I more easily recognize God's hand in my life, AKA my Destiny! My purpose(s) for bein' here! It's an ongoin' process. How can it be anything but? And yet it is so much more incredibly clearer than ever before! Miraculous?! You betcha! Hey! I'm supposed to be dead according to our best medical science. Dead since 1992 and never more alive!

13. Thanks Doc! And Thanks Lord! You guys rock! :^)