Hello Friends....it's Bill here,
Erin continued to do pretty well yesterday which is a huge praise! She was able to get a shower and walked 5 laps. The doctors reduced the basal rate (steady delivery) of her pain med by half yesterday and are wanting to continue to reduce it. They said they think the worst is over and if she can eat and swallow pills then she may be able to go home by middle of next week! That would be earlier than we were expecting and a huge blessing!! Her counts continue to climb and her WBC today is 2.8. She will be getting more platelets today as they continue to be low. The doctor ordered an ultrasound of Erin's liver which they did around 10:00 pm last night. It came back clear this morning but because Erin is still experiencing abdominal pain, they are scheduling an MRI today to get a better look. Evidently, it is not uncommon for chemo patients to develop a condition called VOD in the liver which is treatable but will normally clear itself up.
All in all, Erin is doing much better. The doctor gave her a goal of 7 laps today and she told him she planned to go for 10 laps. Her voice is getting stonger and her sense of humor is coming back as well. She had severe stomach pain about 4:00 a.m. this morning and required some additional pain med. This led to some interesting E.U.I. conversations and at one point she stood up and said she was going upstairs for something and I had to convince her to go back to bed (I think that may be something she inherited from me and is completely normal behavior!)
"Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard." - Isaiah 58:8
May God bless you and keep you in his steadfast care - Bill
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Progress!! Day +12
Praising God this morning for yesterday's progress. Around 3:00 yesterday Erin got out of bed and said I want to play cards. Well O.K.!! She hadn't even sat in a chair in days. So we sat down at the table and she asked for water and took a swallow. Then she started crying with joy and said "Call Everybody!" Well we were truly celebrating...then she beat me at Gin Rummy! She also took some sips of chicken noodle soup and ate some canned sliced peaches. Can you believe that?? It was a miracle plain and simple. Thank you Lord!! WooHoo!! We had a nice visit after that from 2 Amandas and learned how to make Origami Lilies. How fun. Great Day!! We are hopeful that today will also be a day of Victories.
Erin seemed to sleep well. She got platelets at 4 a.m. but I don't think she needs blood today. She got both yesterday. She is getting her color back but she still has stomach pain. The decreased PCA was good for her obviously but she still needed her button occasionally. They just told us that her WBC is 2.4 today and her ANC is 1100 which is huge!! God is so faithful!!
Erin seemed to sleep well. She got platelets at 4 a.m. but I don't think she needs blood today. She got both yesterday. She is getting her color back but she still has stomach pain. The decreased PCA was good for her obviously but she still needed her button occasionally. They just told us that her WBC is 2.4 today and her ANC is 1100 which is huge!! God is so faithful!!
Thank you again for all your prayers. We still have a long way to go and need your continued prayers. They are a true blessing to us. hugs, janet
"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary." Psalm 96:1-6
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Day +11
Good Morning Prayer Warriors, WooHoo for Day 11!! Erin's WBC is 1.4 today which is more than double yesterday. Grafting is happening!! Thank you Lord!! Erin still has not swallowed anything but I am very hopeful for today. She walked 5 laps yesterday. It took all her willpower! She had a blue kind of day. I can't decide which med is causing that but I can't take it!! She has been so positive until now. But then again, if I missed 6 days of eating and drinking, I would be bummed too!! So please pray for her spirits to soar like her numbers are. They are cutting down her pain med some today so maybe she will be more alert and able to participate in her care. She really has slept 95% of the last 4 days. I think that is an answer to her prayer though. She told me she just wanted to wake up when it is all over. And I don't blame her. But today is a new day and we have healing to do, laps to walk, water to drink and grafting to happen. Praising God that His mercies are new every morning!! Thanks for the prayers. Please keep them up. blessings, janet
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." Psalm 63:1-5
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." Psalm 63:1-5
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Day +10
Good Morning Prayer Warriors, Hurray for day +10. As you may recall, the Dr said she would start feeling better on days 10-14. Erin is still asleep but I am so hopeful that she will feel a little better today. We had a BIG day yesterday. She actually walked a lap. I know it doesn't sound like much compared to 21 (a mile), but it is huge for her, as bad as she has been feeling. We really celebrated it. She did not throw up last night so that is another praise. Her WBC is 0.6 today which is another huge praise. That means her new cells are starting to provide the needed recovery. Her mouth and GI track should start to heal and then maybe she can swallow. Are you as excited as we are?? WooHoo, thank you Lord!! She is still very heavily medicated and delirious at times, but maybe she can wean off of some of that today. She sat up around 5 this morning and said she needed to go check on Charlie. He is one of the kids she babysits. So "Hi" out there to Charlie, Erin is thinking of you.
Thank you all for your prayers. You have really helped us keep our focus through all this. There has been a peace in my heart for the last week that can only be the Holy Spirit. I know that He is here in this room calming us and guarding our hearts against fear and despair. Only a loving God would do that. And I know your prayers helped sustain us in that peace. We love you for that. Please keep praying for Erin to heal like crazy! blessings, janet
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:4-7
Thank you all for your prayers. You have really helped us keep our focus through all this. There has been a peace in my heart for the last week that can only be the Holy Spirit. I know that He is here in this room calming us and guarding our hearts against fear and despair. Only a loving God would do that. And I know your prayers helped sustain us in that peace. We love you for that. Please keep praying for Erin to heal like crazy! blessings, janet
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:4-7
Monday, August 24, 2009
Day +9
Hi Friends....it's Bill again,
Erin continued to be in a fog of pain meds and slept most of the day Sunday. She had a bout of nausea in the morning and another late last night. They continue to adjust her meds to find a balance between controlling the pain and not making her incoherent. She finally came out of the fog a little last night. She has received 3 platelet transfusions in the past two days. She still has not eaten since Thursday and has not really had anything to drink save for rinsing her mouth out. While the pain is somewhat under control, she is so tired, thirsty, hungry and frustrated. The doctors tell us this is the worst of it and she should start feeling better over the next couple days. Her WBC showed a modest sign of improvement this morning at .3 (it had been showing <.3) and hopefully that is a sign that her new cells are starting to work. She needs her white cells to deal with the mouth sores and raw throat. It is an understatement to say that we are all ready to emerge from this darkness into the light of a new day! I've had the song "Trading My Sorrows" stuck in my head the last few days and decided to post the scriptural basis of the song for today:
"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. " - 2 Corinthians 4: 6-9
Blessings on you as you sing it with us!
-Bill
P.S. Our sincere thanks to the generous but nameless soul or souls who so graciously cut our grass and also dropped off new lawncare equipment. We would love to know who you are so we can thank you in person!!
Erin continued to be in a fog of pain meds and slept most of the day Sunday. She had a bout of nausea in the morning and another late last night. They continue to adjust her meds to find a balance between controlling the pain and not making her incoherent. She finally came out of the fog a little last night. She has received 3 platelet transfusions in the past two days. She still has not eaten since Thursday and has not really had anything to drink save for rinsing her mouth out. While the pain is somewhat under control, she is so tired, thirsty, hungry and frustrated. The doctors tell us this is the worst of it and she should start feeling better over the next couple days. Her WBC showed a modest sign of improvement this morning at .3 (it had been showing <.3) and hopefully that is a sign that her new cells are starting to work. She needs her white cells to deal with the mouth sores and raw throat. It is an understatement to say that we are all ready to emerge from this darkness into the light of a new day! I've had the song "Trading My Sorrows" stuck in my head the last few days and decided to post the scriptural basis of the song for today:
"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. " - 2 Corinthians 4: 6-9
Blessings on you as you sing it with us!
-Bill
P.S. Our sincere thanks to the generous but nameless soul or souls who so graciously cut our grass and also dropped off new lawncare equipment. We would love to know who you are so we can thank you in person!!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Day +8
Happy Sabbath Dear Ones, thanks for the prayers. We are plugging along here day by day by the grace of God. I don't know how these patients do this! Hopefully Erin won't remember this week when it's all over. It has been so hard on her. She had another fitful night, lots of vomiting and pain. The only med they found to control her vomiting is a pill and she can't swallow, so she just throws up every time she gets up to the bathroom. Isn't that pleasant to hear about first thing in the morning? Sorry, it is just our reality right now. I forgot to tell you she spiked a temp on friday so they did a chest X-ray and added 2 more antibiotics to her list. The x-ray came back fine. Sometimes the chemo meds reek havoc with your thermostat. Most times they never pinpoint a cause of the fever. Anyway, we are just praying these days pass quickly so she can breathe normally and eat and drink.
On the bright side, Erin is still funny and charming in her Dilaudid fog. She was pretty delirious all day yesterday and last night. They are turning down her PCA a bit today so she can come back to normal a little. It is a difficult balance. Please pray for pain relief, no nausea and of course complete healing. Our perspectives are forever changed by this journey and for that we are grateful. We hope this glimpse into our lives has blessed you with a new perspective as well. God is faithful to walk with us in good times and in bad. We will never take that for granted again. Thanks be to God! love, janet
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
On the bright side, Erin is still funny and charming in her Dilaudid fog. She was pretty delirious all day yesterday and last night. They are turning down her PCA a bit today so she can come back to normal a little. It is a difficult balance. Please pray for pain relief, no nausea and of course complete healing. Our perspectives are forever changed by this journey and for that we are grateful. We hope this glimpse into our lives has blessed you with a new perspective as well. God is faithful to walk with us in good times and in bad. We will never take that for granted again. Thanks be to God! love, janet
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Day +7
Dear Prayer Warriors, thanks for the ideas for the list. You all are inspired. Erin will have many wonderful things to look forward to when she is able to play. We are praising God right along with you that Erin has maintained her sense of humor. She played hangman last night by using sign language. Actually at one point, Amanda had her writing the letters with her foot. Erin still can't talk or swallow or breathe with her mouth shut, but she still loves a good game of hangman. She watched alot of Wheel of Fortune during her recovery last year and she is pretty good. She might even beat Cioffi.
She spent a fairly miserable night trying to sleep sitting up so she could breathe. Ever had one of those nights when you had a head cold and couldn't breathe? That explains this week for Erin. She also had an episode last night that almost made Amanda pass out. They ended up giving Erin platelets in the middle of the night because of it. She will also need blood today. Please pray for the generous spirit of all the blood donors out there. All these patients completely rely on their donations. Last year Erin had 40 transfusions. This year she will get lots more. Our family made it their goal to give back as many pints as Erin received. That seemed like such a reachable goal, but now I don't know if we can ever give that much!
Today we are thanking God for you, for laughter, for selfless blood donors, and for our hope for the future through Jesus. We are blessed! May you be blessed as well. janet
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12
She spent a fairly miserable night trying to sleep sitting up so she could breathe. Ever had one of those nights when you had a head cold and couldn't breathe? That explains this week for Erin. She also had an episode last night that almost made Amanda pass out. They ended up giving Erin platelets in the middle of the night because of it. She will also need blood today. Please pray for the generous spirit of all the blood donors out there. All these patients completely rely on their donations. Last year Erin had 40 transfusions. This year she will get lots more. Our family made it their goal to give back as many pints as Erin received. That seemed like such a reachable goal, but now I don't know if we can ever give that much!
Today we are thanking God for you, for laughter, for selfless blood donors, and for our hope for the future through Jesus. We are blessed! May you be blessed as well. janet
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12