Andy had his final visit with the doctor yesterday at the Mayo Clinic and he got a great report! He has had asthma since he was 2 and we were concerned that it was getting worse and that there was possibly damage done to his heart from all the straining he had put on it from not being able to breath. But, praise God, it is not worse...actually its just different than it was before....its kind of hard to explain, but there are lots of different aspects to asthma, some of which even doctors don't understand yet. He now has an atypical asthma, which I guess means most ppl with asthma have more common symptoms than he does. The good news is its controllable with a few medications. He also had an echo-cardiogram done on his heart b/c he has a family history of severe heart conditions. Everything is perfect, his cholesterol, blood pressure, and everything were just where they should be.

The doctor was so wonderful and gave us lots of useful information to help us make our home a safe environment for Andy. He is extremely allergic to dust mites and grass which irritate his asthma. The doc said we need to make our room as dust mite free as possible, starting with our bed most importantly. 98% of the allergens come from our bed. When we lay in bed and move around the dust mites get scattered in the air and then while we are sleeping we are most susceptible to those allergens. So we need to start using these mattress covers that don't allow dust mites through and I have to wash all the bedding in hot water once a week. I will have to put more effort into keeping our home as dust free as possible, but it will be worth it to see my husband living better. We also have to try to keep as much of the outdoor environment outdoors as possible. Andy can not mow the lawn or be outside when anyone is b/c he is so allergic to grass...he can't even get it on his skin! And as you can imagine, he is really "bummed" that he is not allowed to mow the lawn anymore!

I just wanted to thank all you again for your thoughts and prayers through this journey. We had a few stressful and uncertain moments, but God was with us each step because of your prayers. We feel we are now prepared to start living better and healthier, not just for ourselves but for our children.