Thursday,

Two steps forward one step backwards seems to be the pace for Bonnie these past few days.

One of the “steps” forward was a milestone Bonnie achieved since the commencement of the intestinal issues which started over two weeks ago. She was able to stay stationary in bed from 12:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. this morning without getting up to run to the bathroom. This was a huge step in aiding Bonnie with more energy today. Our night nurse still had to come in almost every hour to change an antibiotic IV drip or other drip which woke Bonnie up, but she was able to roll over and go right back to sleep. The doctor continues to approve Bonnie to add more options to her diet in addition to clear liquids. Tonight she mixed in a chicken breast and spaghetti noodles into her chicken broth and finished it off with an orange popsicle. The additions thus far don’t appear to have a negative impact on Bonnie’s GI tract, which is an answer to prayer. The continued prayer is to have Bonnie intake enough natural nutrients through regular eating that the food bag on the IV tower can be eliminated.

The other “step” forward was the update we received from the Infectious Disease physicians that the most recent blood cultures came back negative. They are watching to see if there is any positive growth in that culture tomorrow plus in any new blood draw. The feeling is that this infection has been contained based on these results.

The one “step” backward is she started to have blood again in her stools which caused the doctors to order more platelet transfusions as well as red blood cell transfusions to boost her hemoglobin. Bonnie’s White Blood Cell count is still at zero, so she continues to be very susceptible to infection and on constant watch. Please pray that we will begin to see her key blood components begin to stabilize and renew on their own.

One other recent development that has been on the watch list for Bonnie is the reaction her feet and hands have had to the chemo. For the past few weeks Bonnie’s hands have been very sore, stiff, calloused and red as have her heels and the balls of her feet. On Tuesday this week, Bonnie’s hands started to shed skin, almost in a reptile type way and now has new beautiful soft skin underneath that is not painful. Her heels though, are not at the point where her hands are and are very sore. The entire heel area has a large water sack underneath this thick dry skin that has yet to erupt. The doctors want her to try to stay off her feet as much as possible so that these sacks don’t burst which could lead to infection. This is a source of discouragement to Bonnie because now that she has regained her strength and has courage to venture away from the room to walk her laps, she is now relegated to staying off her feet and doing isometric exercises in bed as an alternative. Pray that the water will dry up and the pain will subside enabling her to do her walking in the near future, possibly with a temporary cushioned insole in her shoe.

We have been asked a few times if we know when the next biopsy will occur. It is our understanding that once her WBC count is normal, around 10,000, then the biopsy will be completed with the hope that the remaining blasts in her bone marrow are 4% or less, which is considered remission. Assuming that is the case, we will then need to select the right clinic that will do the bone marrow transplant. Please pray for wisdom in where we have this done. There are really only three options in Michigan, two in Detroit and one in Ann Arbor. Once we start down the path of a transplant, it will be a very long process, which puts our current month long stay at Sparrow in perspective.

Overall, pray Bonnie will continue to be encouraged in the midst of these mini-trials and will maintain seeing the goodness of God in everything, including the many little quirks that pop up at the most inconvenient times, such as a weird rash in the middle of the night or a fever that spikes or the liver test they will do tomorrow morning. All these little things that pop up can be unsettling and we have to constantly remind ourselves that God knows about these little issues as intimately as He does about the leukemia in general. As God’s word says, he has numbered every hair on our head, so it is a comfort to know He values everything about us, as His creation. Psalm 72:12-14 is a good place to stop for tonight:

For He delivers the needy when He calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence He redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in His sight.

Bonnie’s blood and the trial we are enduring because of it, is precious in God’s sight. What could be a greater comfort than knowing this!