Sept 30

Hello Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for the prayers. We had a God moment yesterday. Erin has been so worried about the prograf level being so high and that it might be a liver problem. Then the mother of one of her former cheerleaders came by to visit and told us her mother had the same problem with prograf. She said it was totally normal for it to take time to level off. It was such an encouragement to hear that, just when we needed to be comforted. God is in the details, never doubt it!
Erin is feeling o.k. today but had some upset stomach last night. She was supposed to meet some friends but had to cancel and was so sad. These stomach issues will come and go I guess. Overall I think she is still doing great. We are thankful to have a day off of the clinic. We just have to be careful not to let Erin overdo when she has a good day. Blessings, janet

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:11-12

Day +45

Happy Tuesday Prayer Warriors,
What beautiful weather, crisp fall morning, breezy blustery day. Love it. Erin is feeling well, we had another quick trip to the clinic for labs. Her prograf is still very high and they said it might be from interference with one of the other meds she takes. So we will work on balancing it all out for the greatest benefit. Other than that, I don't have much to report and I am thrilled to say that! No news is good news right? Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. We know how blessed we are and are constantly praising God for every normal detail in our lives. Hope you enjoy your blustery day too. love, janet

" 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharoah: 'I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.' " Romans 9:14-17

Praising God for His power and His mercy!!

Monday Day +44

Hello Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for the prayers. Erin is feeling pretty good. She still has moments of worry. There is still a long way to go for potential side effects from the transplant. We had a quick visit to the clinic today, but unfortunately have to go back tomorrow. Her prograf level came back very high and they need to recheck it again. As the verse goes; "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
Erin has spent the day putting a recipe book together. She is looking for good recipes if anyone wants to send her some. I wanted her to ask for vegetarian recipes but she informed me she will not be a vegetarian forever. Well...
Be Blessed! love, janet

Sunday

Happy Sabbath Everyone,
Thanks for the prayers. Erin is doing well today. She got to watch the game with friends last night. This morning she made her Grandparents a cake. It was their 65th Anniversary yesterday and we celebrated today with the family. So fun. So nice to have us all together at home. God has blessed us beyond measure and we are so thankful. Hope you all had a blessed day too. We have a clinic day tomorrow so we will let you know the latest scoop. hugs, janet

"Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children." Proverbs 17:6

AMEN!!

Sat - A Star is Born

Happy Rainy Saturday.
Erin is having a pretty good day. She spent the morning being a movie star for Emory. They needed a volunteer to do a video on Central Line Dressing Changes and Line Care. She was a beautiful model I am sure. If only you could see her smile under the mask. Her nurse friends from 8E got a grant to do a video for Emory and to be produced as a handout DVD for patients. Anyway, Erin is a movie star now. Autographs available.
She is looking forward to the UGA game this evening and is hoping she can stay awake for it. She actually went to a movie yesterday at noon. We saw Fame. She still has to avoid crowds, but there were only 6 people in the theater. It was fun to get out of the house. She slept through a little of it, but was happy to have been able to go. We germ-x the arms of the seat and cover the whole thing with a beach towel. You can't keep a movie buff down for long.
She wishes she could come to church or visit her friends at school or go to restaurants, but the Dr told her to be a hermit through flu season. Unfortunately that is a long season now. Thanks for understanding. She can have visitors now though. As long as you have not been sick or near anyone sick, you are welcome to come over.
Praising God for encouraging friends like you all. Thanks for the prayers! blessings, janet

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25

Friday day +41

Good Morning Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for the prayers. We continue to be blessed by God's grace. Erin is doing well today. We just got back from the clinic. Apparently her prograf level was way too high yesterday and they called last evening to say we needed to go in this morning for another set of labs. So a short visit. We saw almost everyone from our hall on 8E. It was like a reunion. Everyone looks great and they are all about where Erin is on the "getting well" spectrum. We thank God for their healing! Erin is looking forward to a quiet weekend. Blessings on you all for the prayers. love, janet

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, " declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:33

There is so much comfort in that.

Day +40/ updated with photo

Hello Prayer Warriors,
Thanks as always for your love in the form of prayers! We just got back from the clinic and Erin got a good report. Her platelets have come up to 68! WooHoo! God is Awesome! So we had a fast visit, no infusions necessary. We got to see Megan there today, what a treat. And she has hair!! Such an inspiration. Megan's transplant was 6 months before Erin's and she looks great. I took a picture but it will take Erin's expertise to put it on the blog. We follow Megan's progress closely because we figure Erin will be going through similar things.
Erin's night went a lot better last night but when I went up to give her the 3 a.m. pills, she wasn't in her bed but had set herself up in the bonus room. I asked her why she was in there and she couldn't remember. But she had the food network on and her phone, bucket and water nearby so it was definitely a planned thing. She says the chemo makes her crazy.... who knows??
Crazy or not, we are thankful for her progress and praying for continued strength and energy. Bless you all for your prayers. janet

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2

Is that sort of like Bulldawgs released from the scrimmage line?

Wed

Good Morning Prayer Warriors,
Thanks so much for praying. Erin had another "not-so-very-good" night. She had 2 bouts of nausea last night and 2 more this morning. She is so discouraged because it seemed like she was improving with her nausea. We tried to lengthen the time between pain meds yesterday and I think we went too far. So now we are trying to get her pills in between bouts of nausea so they can do their jobs. It's tough. Please continue your prayers for decreased nausea and pain and increased energy. She was so looking forward to getting out of the house today. But maybe friday. Clinic all day tomorrow so that's all she can do. We have to limit her activity to one thing per day. Unfortunately, my job called and said I have to go back in 3 weeks. Please pray that Erin is ready when that time comes, me too. Of course, we will play it by ear, it things don't improve alot, we will make a plan "B". Think Bill will let me retire?? A girl can dream!!
hugs, janet

"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me." Psalm 86:5-7

Tues Day +38

Thank you Prayer Warriors for your continued prayers! We are praising God for another good day. Erin was able to walk on the treadmill for an hour yesterday. That's huge. She is feeling pretty good and we are so thankful. She has a slight rash that seems to flair now and then throughout the day. May be GVHD but we aren't sure yet. Hope that is the worst she gets. She is planning on making cookies today. Seems like a good rainy day activity. She wanted to go to the movies, but with school out, she couldn't chance the crowds. Maybe tomorrow if they don't cancel school again. Please pray for the flood victims here in GA.

We are welcoming a new member of the pack today. Wahki is the husky/white shepherd pup that Amanda and Kyle just adopted yesterday. He is so cute.

Again, thanks for the prayers. Our dearest desire is to praise God through this ordeal and Give Him the Glory for Erin's healing. Thanks for cheering with us! hugs, janet

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:16-17

After the flood

Dear Prayer Warriors, Thanks for the prayers. After the flood waters calmed down, we made it to and from the clinic with no problems. Erin had a great report. Her platelets were 58! That is a praise since she has been needing them on a regular basis, maybe now her body is catching up and producing it's own. She didn't need anything today except labs. She has a slight rash that may or may not be the start of some GVHD. It doesn't itch so we hope that is as bad as it gets. She hasn't thrown up in several days, so she is feeling pretty good. Now we just need to wean the pain meds a bit and see what happens. Thanking God for that fairly normal feeling. Woo Hoo! Hope you all stay dry today. hugs, janet

"And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on earth.'" Genesis 9:12-16

Thank God for the rain!

Sunday

Dear Prayer Warriors, Thanks for your prayers. We are having another rainy day inside. Erin is doing o.k. She is catching up on phone calls and e-mails. So thankful she feels up to that. She has been letting all her communications slide while she hasn't felt well. She is starting to ask when she can go somewhere. I consider that great news. Of course she can only go places that don't have crowds. We might try to hit a movie matinee. Germ-X in hand. We are really hoping her pain continues to decrease so we can ease her off of her pain meds. Then she will be able to stay awake for a whole movie. Another clinic day tomorrow. We are still going 3 days a week until they get her prograf to a therapeutic level. Then we can back down to 2 days a week. All in all, fairly normal progress I think. We feel blessed to be in the "normal" group after all the complications she went through! Hope you have a blessed day as well. love, janet

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him." Psalm 103:11-13

Sat +35

Happy Rainy Saturday Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for praying for Erin, she had a good night. No big plans for today, which is great. We are so happy to just sit at home and play games and watch endless (did I say endless?) hours of Food Network. Erin falls asleep with that channel on every night and I go up in the middle of the night to give her pain pills and the T.V. is still on. I hope she turns into a great cook by absorbing all that info subliminally. It would be nice if one of us could cook. We have been blessed by the ladies at our church cooking wonderful meals for us over the course of all our hospitilizations. God blessed us with great cooks at our church. I think it is a prerequisite to Methodism.
Thanks again for the prayers for decreased pain, decreased nausea, increased energy and total healing. You are so dear to us for interceding on Erin's behalf. To God be the glory. hugs, janet

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8: 26-27

Day +34

Dear Prayer Warriors, Thanks for the prayers. Erin is having a much better day. We just got back from the clinic. She had to have labs and visit the PA. All is well. Her platelets were low at 25 but they feel like she can wait til Monday to get more. They took some labs to check her chimera status (?). We looked that up and found out Erin is a mythical creature that breathes fire and has the head of a dragon, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpant. The medical term means someone who has 2 distinct types of DNA in their body which is strangely true right now. Weird huh? She will have to put her photo on the wall in her classroom when she teaches mythology again. Thanks for checking in. As always, we are praising God for family and friends who have seen us through this. You are our angel wings! We love you, janet

"He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Psalm 91:11

"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:14

Thurs

Dear Prayer Warriors, Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. Erin had a bout of nausea last night after she took her pills, so I don't think any of them really got absorbed. So unfortunately, she is having a rough morning. Please pray for her pain today. Anytime we have a setback like this with her pills, it takes a while to get caught back up. Amanda's husband Kyle had emergency wisdom teeth removal yesterday and was in bad pain. So they spent the night here and today we have our own little hospital ward. Thankfully Laura had a short day and came home to hang out with Erin. Actually I think she wants Erin to do her homework! Ha! Sisters are always trying to work the system. Our praise for yesterday is that Erin got on the treadmill for 20 minutes. That is great considering she hasn't walked her mile in a few days. It's just ups and downs around here. Thanking God for following every down with an up. Did that make sense? Blessings on your day! janet

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:1-2

Day of rest

Thank you Prayer Warriors for checking in. Erin had a good night and is taking advantage of a day off from the clinic to sleep in. Praising God for rainy sleepy mornings. We start home infusions today but other than that I think Erin has time to rest. Nothing new to report which is also a huge praise. God is taking sweet care of His girl! Blessings on your day, janet

"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7:25

God is our Rock and Erin is a Rockstar!!

Another long clinic day

Hello Prayer Warriors, Thanks for the prayers. We feel them!! We had another long day at the clinic but today Erin felt better going in so it was manageable. She needed the old antiviral med since she had the reaction to the new one. And she needed platelets, which takes 1.5 hours, so we just got home. Home health will come tomorrow to start the antiviral at home. That will be nice. So we have 2 days off and we go back on friday for labs. We have a big praise. They had told us they wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy on friday to check on her disease, since she had a bit left before the transplant. We questioned them today, as I always do, and asked if it was necessary since it wouldn't change our plan of care and they would definitely do one on day 100. They said o.k., so no biopsy on friday. You can't possibly know how excited Erin was to hear that. Since she has had such stomach pain, she didn't want to lay on her stomach for the procedure and she didn't want a sore backside for the next week either. Thank you Lord, we trust you have this disease wiped out and the Drs can just wait to find out at day 100. So thank you all for your support. We finally got Erin's pain back under control and she is eating a little and we are thrilled. As always, please pray for decreased pain and nausea, increased energy and no GVHD. Blessings on you for being a blessing to us. love, janet

"I will make a covenant of pease with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. I will bless them ... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:25-26

I love a good shower of blessings!! Bring it on Lord!!

Long clinic day

Sorry about the late entry, we had a very long clinic day and just got home. Erin was in so much pain today and so nauseous they had to rush her back to the infusion center to give her some IV dilaudid and ativan. After that she was much better. She was dehydrated from lots of nausea over the weekend so they gave her some fluids. Then she had a reaction to the new antifungal med they tried. They were hoping for us to start that at home. We thank God she was there when she had the reaction so they could give her IV benadryl. All is well now, we just have to stay on top of the pain and nausea to get her transitioned to home life. When you sleep 12 hours at a time, your meds get off their schedule. So now I may be waking her up to push pills. She threatened Bill and I with bodily harm if we woke her up for anything, but now she may have to let us. Anyway, thanks for the continued prayers. We are so hopeful that we can get this all figured out to keep from having to be readmitted. Don't look for early posts this week, we have to go to the clinic 4 days this week and it makes for long days. Blessings on you for fighting the fight with us. we love you, janet

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

How cool is that?

Day +29

What a Beautiful Morning! Thank you Prayer Warriors for your prayers! We have been blessed with a miracle. Being home is so awesome for all of us. Erin slept 12 hours straight plus the few hours she slept yesterday afternoon. She is so happy to be home. She did manage to stay awake for most of the Ga game and celebrate their win. A wonderful ending to a fabulous day. Again we want to tell you all how much we were blessed by our homecoming reception. We were really blown away! Someone said it was like Extreme Erin Makeover and everyone was chanting, "Move that Van!"
We intend to spend a blissful day away from the hospital, since we will end up spending most of tomorrow at the clinic. We are finally getting to celebrate Laura's birthday. We probably won't hug her though since she was with 30,000 of her closest friends last night at the game. Yikes. Thank you for your continued prayers for Erin. We are praying for decreased stomach pain, decreased nausea, increased energy, a strong immune system and most importantly, very little Graft Vs. Host disease. The Dr told us a little GVH is good, so we know the graft is fighting any remaining Leukemia. But we certainly could do without much of it. Our main goal now is to stay free of germs and infections while her new cells do the hard work.
Wow, sounds like a lot of stuff to ask for doesn't it? But our God is up to the challenge. After all He is the creator and knows exactly what she needs! Praising God for miracles every day!! We love you, janet

Jesus said in John 14:11-14
"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

Home Sweet Home!

Wow, What a reception!! We just came home to a huge bunch of people (100+) lining our street with banners and signs and balloons welcoming Erin home. That was so amazing!! A true picture of Heaven on Earth!! Thank you all so much for the fantastic homecoming reception. We cried buckets. You all are too much!! We were truly blessed by your love. I don't even think I can describe that feeling. The funny thing is, our road is being paved today and there are all these huge trucks lining the street too. The foreman had them all line up and honk as we came down the street. It was magic!
This morning Erin had a tearful parting from all the nurses that have taken such good care of her these past weeks. It has been a very emotional day. But now we are home and she is napping in front of the T.V. It's so great to have her home!! Our dogs are home too and it is wonderful.
Bless you all for keeping Erin in your prayers. We have experienced a miracle of God's mercy and we are so humbled by it. What an amazing God we serve. Halleluia! hugs, janet

"You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples." Psalm 77:14

AMEN AMEN AMEN

Day +27

Hello Prayer Warriors, Thanks for the continued prayers. Erin had a couple of bouts of nausea last night but slept pretty good after that. She finished her 2 miles again yesterday. What a feat that is for these patients. They brought in a bucket-o-pills this morning and Erin is really trying hard to face them down. She will probably get platelets today since they are 14 this morning. She also has to get a nebulizer treatment of some sort that prevents pneumonia. It is a once a month treatment and replaces the antibiotic she used to take for that. So that is a good trade I think. Her nurses bought her a gift today. A white coat like the Drs wear. She has been thinking for a year and a half that she has earned her degree from Emory and deserves a white coat to wear. So they got one for her and told her they would embroider it for her. She is thinking hard of something cute to put on it. "Dr Butts" need not submit any entries! Anyway, we are so thankful to our Lord for His unfailing grace toward Erin. We have been surrounded by His angels this whole time in the form of great nurses, super Drs, and a loving community of friends. We are blessed and humbled. Thank you just doesn't cover it. blessings, janet

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2

Day +26

Dear Prayer Warriors, What a nice night Erin had, we both slept good for a change. The nurse still came in a lot but Erin wasn't waking up in pain or trying to find a comfortable position... she just slept. Maybe the fresh air did her some good. We went outside the last 2 days for a little fresh air. We just found a bench under a big tree and watched the people walk by. That is such a fun thing to do. She walked her 2 miles again yesterday and her energy and spunk are definitely making a comeback. Her labs continue in the right direction and we couldn't be more thankful to our Sweet Lord for His healing. Some of the Drs are just chalking it up to youth but we all know it was a faithful God's Divine Intervention!! Erin has been in the lion's den, in the fiery furnace, in the belly of that whale and God saw her need and brought her through for His Glory. Thanks be!!
We are still looking at getting out of here by sat. I told them we had a game to watch from home!! Thanks for your prayers!! We don't have any weight lose to report today. They stopped the albumin/lasix combo since she is almost back to where she started, so I don't look for anymore gigantic losses but we are thankful she no longer has so much fluid discomfort! Wow, what a crazy thing that was! Hope you have a blessed day! hugs, janet

"Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." Daniel 3:28

"I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is a living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." Daniel 6:26-27

"'When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land."

Our God rescues!! Amen

WooHoo Day +25 9/9/9

Happy 9/9/9 Prayer Warriors, We have alot to be thankful for today. Yesterday Erin lost 6 lbs and today she lost 4.3 lbs!! She has her ankles back!! God is Glorious!! Her liver enzymes are still going down and finally her Bilirubin is starting down too. Everything is going great!! You won't believe how far she walked yesterday.....2, count 'em, TWO miles!! That's determination!! Now we are just in the process of weaning the pain meds and converting IVs to pills. They are hopeful that we can go home by the end of the week. We are so ready, it's been 33 days so far. After we get home, we will be driving into the clinic 3 days a week to check labs and get platelets or blood as needed. We are anxious to get this first 100 days overwith since that is the time of greatest risk for infection. Erin's appetite continues to improve and she has started craving things. That is a wonderful sign! Thanks again for your faithful prayers throughout this ordeal. We have been so blessed by your encouragement and love. blessings, janet

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1

Tues, Day +24/update

Good Morning Prayer Warriors, We are praising God this morning for decreased pain overnight. They turned down her pain pump yesterday because we were so worried about the amount of sedation. She seemed to tolerate it well. They also started steroids again which may have helped with the pain. Anyway, she was able to get a whole mile done!! Can you believe it?? She also ate an apple!! WooHoo. I told her an apple a day keeps the Dr. away! She didn't sleep well last night. She gets up every hour for something, but I don't think it was pain related. I think she just gets tired of the bed. They have already given her platelets early this morning. I haven't seen her numbers yet but we are praying they are continuing to go in the right direction. So, we are starting the day in good spirits. The first thing Erin did this morning was drag her pump over to my side of the room and eat one of the little powdered sugar donuts I had been munching on yesterday. Bless her heart, she is hungry. Of course I offered more healthy selections for her but she just had to eat that little donut. I said, Way to Go Erin!! I take it as a sign of good things to come! A little sugar does a body good. Obviously God is blessing her recovery, so keep the prayers going, we want to go home!! love you, janet

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

Update! 6 lb weight lose today!! Yes!!

Labor Day/Laura's Birthday

Happy Birthday Laura!! WooHoo 22!!

Thanks for checking in everyone, we value your prayers and encouragement. Amanda spent the night last night with Erin and said Erin was up every hour trying to leave the room. So at 3:30 a.m. they left and walked 3 laps. She has already walked 4 more. Now, as Brittany mentioned, it would seem that she feels good if she is walking, but actually, she is forcing herself beyond a normal person's limits. The nurses all comment that they get chills seeing her out of bed. She really is doing it only by the grace of God. Her pain pump is really high. If you know anything about Dilaudid, you will be surprised to hear she is on 1.2 mg/hr plus can push her button for 0.4mg more every 10 minutes. That's enough to put a horse into a coma. Yet she pushes through to do the walking. We are praising God this morning for another 2.5 lb fluid loss. Isn't God amazing?? Her numbers look pretty good except for her Bilirubin which is climbing a bit. She got platelets yesterday and this morning to keep them at a reasonable level. Erin is still only able to take small amounts of liquid, so Amanda made her a smoothie this morning and she drank a few sips of it. We use V8 Fusion and a banana and some of the protein powder they want her to drink. She says it's delicious. I guess the prayers requests are still the same, decreased ascites, decreased pain, protected organs, increased appetite and a working GI system so she can eat. Blessings on you, janet

"He said to me; 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.'" Revelation 21:6-7

Sunday Day +22

Thank you Prayer Warriors for your continued prayers. We thank God for each of you as we start another day in need of prayer. Erin had a yucky day yesterday. She had 3 bad bouts of nausea and a lot of pain throughout the day. They had taken off her Scopolamine patch 2 days before because it was drying her mouth out so bad. I think it caught up with her and that caused the nausea. So we got another one last night. They also increased her basal rate on her pain pump. Unfortunately, that put her to sleep which means she couldn't cheer for our Dawgs. That caused our Bulldawgs to lose. Poor dawgs. Anyway, in between her pain, she pushed herself to walk 11 laps. She is amazing. Her liver enzymes continued to drop today and the biggest news is she lost 3.5 lbs today. Halleluia!! We are all very optomistic that this tide is turning, but we still have a ways to go. Please pray for decreased pain, decreased nausea, decreased ascites, and increased energy. The Drs all keep saying walking is her best therapy right now. I know that she only gets it done by the grace of God.
Hope you all have a blessed Labor Day. Hug each other for us, janet

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18

Game Day, Day +21

Dear Prayer Warriors, Thank you so much for the prayers. Erin had a fitful night again. She has found a way to lessen the pressure on her organs; she stands at the sink and leans forward. Well you can imagine how tiring that is every couple of hours. The big news is she lost a pound. She had steadily been gaining fluid with the ascites and I won't tell you the big number but losing some is AWESOME! Thank you Lord!! I pray we have finally turned the corner on this VOD. Her liver enzymes were down a bit yesterday too, which is wonderful. We got a visit from the liver Dr and the kidney Dr and they were both spouting procedures and tests, but they can't scare us! We have seen the devil and his name is Cancer. We have proclaimed Victory in the name of Jesus and moved that mountain out to sea. We just have a few details to clear up and then we are blowing this pop stand!! Another praise is that she walked TEN laps yesterday! Can you believe that? Amanda bribed Erin by saying she would run a mile for every lap Erin did. Now she is probably regretting that offer. Please pray for decreased ascites, decreased pain, ability to eat and drink and energy to get out of here. Blessings, Janet

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

We will no longer be a slave to cancer. AMEN!!

One day at a time Sweet Jesus, that's all we're asking from you.

Day +20

Greetings Prayer Warriors....it's Bill this time,

You can usually tell when I do the blog because it is always posted later than normal. Sorry about that but thanks for checking in with us. You know I am not a doctor but I have watched "House" on TV and I think Erin has shown some slight improvement over the past day and that is a huge praise! Her voice is a little stronger, she has some of her feistiness back and she walked 4 laps yesterday and another 3 this morning at 6:30 a.m. She committed to add a lap every day! Erin's doctor came by this morning and said she felt like Erin is starting to turn the corner and that she was hoping to see Erin in the clinic next week. Her weight is up a pound from yesterday but at least it is less of a gain than previous days which hopefully means that her body is starting to deal with the fluid buildup. They are discontinuing the TPN (IV feeding) as they feel her nutrient levels are good and they want to reduce the fluid intake through the IV to help with the recovery process. Erin's counts continue to hold steady or show improvement across the board: WBC at 10.7, HCT 42.2, Bilirubin is down from 2.3 to 2.0 today. She had a relatively quiet night in terms of pain level but she ended up waking up at midnight and wanting to watch a couple episodes of "The Office". I think her day/night schedule may be a little out of whack. She has been sipping on smoothies and juice and water but still not really up to eating solid foods. The doctor is less concerned about solid foods and will be satisfied if she can take in some nutritional supplements like Ensure or Boost shakes. So we will work on that today. We were on the same wavelength with Aunt Deb and asked her doctor this morning about the paracentesis (removing the excess fluid in her abdomen with a syringe). She explained that they would only take that measure in extreme circumstances where there was imminent threat to her organs. She said that the fluid would return within 12-24 hours of being removed and the risk of infection or damaging an organ outweighed any temporary relief benefit.

I guess that is all the news for now. Thanks for the tremendous love and support and most of all for the continued prayers that sustain us and help us persevere! We count you among the many blessings that God has poured out on us as we weather this storm!

We pray God's blessings on each of you! - Bill

My scripture focus for today returns to perseverance :

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12: 1-2

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." - James 1: 2-4

P.S. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the mysterious masked lawn mower who once again visited our yard! How do we know he wore a mask you may ask....because he left the mark of "TORO" on our lawn!! (Okay...give me a break, I am sleep deprived.) Anyway thank you so much for your generosity!!

Day +19

Dear Prayer Warriors, Thanks for the prayers! Erin had a sleepless night, not so much because of pain, although that is constant, but because they gave her lasix at 11 p.m. She is so full of fluid they are giving her lasix twice a day and it keeps you up for hours. She continues to put on more fluid and I am begging them to try something else. This is not working. The Dr came by last evening and said again how important walking is and she jumped up like a trooper and walked a couple of laps for a total of 3 for the day. I know she only does that by the strength of God. She just pushes beyond the limits whenever anyone asks. I've always considered that her biggest fault; not knowing how to say "no." But now it is her biggest strength, pushing her to extreme measures to do whatever the Dr says might help get her well. Isn't is amazing how God shows you those details?
I don't have labs yet but will update later if there is any big change. We just continue to trust God for healing. Please pray He continues to nudge or hammer some wisdom into our Drs. We need relief. Thanks for all your encouragement. We love the image of the children praying for Erin. blessings, janet

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "NO" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:11-14

P.S. I wanted to tell you all about a couple of angels that are training for a 1/2 marathon for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society in honor of Erin. Erin Lace, one of the teachers Erin works with, and Jana Bearden from Erin's small group at church are doing the run together. Thanks ladies, we hope to be able to come see you both cross that finish line. The website is http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/kiawah09/erinblonshine Hope you all can support them with your prayers. Any donations are tax deductable. thanks, janet

Day +18

Dear Prayer Warriors,
Thank you for stepping it up a notch. God has been faithful as always. Erin had a better night. She was awake alot pushing her button but her pain level was reduced significantly. She did not sit up and lay down alot like the previous nights. So we are praising God today!! Her first Dr, the one we feel most comfortable with, came by last night. She went over all the issues with us and labs etc. Erin actually does have VOD in a mild form. We have been so worried about VOD but it is not severe, and Erin is young, so hopefully she will turn around quickly. Her labs were the same today as yesterday, but not worse. We just need them to trend down and we need this ascites to reduce in volume so she can get comfortable. She is able to drink water and get into a chair but no walking right now. She is too shaky on all the pain meds. They gave her some steroids yesterday to reduce the swelling in her liver and gallbladder. It also helps with pain. We love steroids. I asked them to bring a bunch more. We need to "pump her up" so she can get out of here!! So those are our details for the morning. Thanks for checking in. Needless to say, we would dearly love your continued prayers for our sweet Erin. blessings, janet

"I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:16-21

I love that verse!!

Day +17 Sept 1

Dear Prayer Warriors, Well, not much new to report, Erin did not sleep last night due to the pain. They increased her pump twice and gave her 3 addtional boluses of Dilaudid but she couldn't get comfortable. She just kept sitting up and laying down over and over. Her 12 lbs of extra fluid in her stomach is taking over! Plus all her organs are swollen. She can't breathe deep or move well. She is really having a hard time. We haven't seen the Dr yet but we hope he has a different plan, because this one isn't working. I did some reading on good ole Google last night and there are several meds that she is on or has been on that may have contributed to her inflammed liver. It is all so confusing. They are giving her protein to help with the ascites but protein is hard on the liver. I don't know what to do except pray hard for relief!! God has brought her through so much already, I know He can get her through this too. I just want it yesterday!! Erin continues to be very patient and sweet but she just hurts nonstop, so of course we hurt with her. Thanks for the prayers, please keep them coming! Only the Great Physician knows what to do here and we need Him to nudge the Drs a little.
Yesterday they upgraded the flu policy again. They are only allowing family to visit and supposedly only 1 at a time. Yeah right! So even though we appreciate all your offers to visit, we aren't allowed. Everyone here is doing their best to keep these patients safe and we are thankful. We love notes on the blog, e-mail and phone calls but sorry, no visits for now.
I will update this later if the Dr has any revelation for us. In the meantime, pray, pray, pray. blessings, janet

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 AMEN!!