Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wednesday,

After what has seemed like days of updating this blog with difficult reports on Bonnie’s physical situation and complex explanations of her medical condition, today’s post is a little more upbeat and certainly less technical. It started with one of the best night of sleep since her intestinal issues commenced. We may have mentioned previously that her favorite sleeping position is on her side and that this option has been severely hampered due to it triggering frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the night. She has been relegated to sleeping on her back to extend the duration of sleep between interruptions due to IV changes and blood draws. Lately we have been getting 45 minute to 1 hour and 30 minute intervals of sleep. Last night she had two 3 hour intervals sleeping on her side last night which recharged her energy level which was very apparent throughout the balance of today.

Starting off the day with the rest she got, Bonnie was able to get a few laps in around the floor (we’ll come back to this), a visit outdoors on the patio along with a card game of rummy. She must not be feeling that well, because this is one of the first times I (Steve) beat her at the game. Most importantly she was able to sit on the couch for over two hours getting spiritually recharged by reading her Bible verses and other daily devotionals. If you wonder where she draws her spiritual and emotional stamina from it’s that, God’s word. We have always made God’s written word a priority in our life, but sometimes it’s as if our ship of life is cruising along and we take for granted that we have the security of the big anchor of God’s word drawn up ready to use on those occasions when we need to slow down our speed or steady the course. Not that the squall has arrived, there is such peace and comfort knowing that the anchor of God’s word is what is sustaining us and keeping us from being tossed about. We have security in Christ who is our anchor and know that no one can cut that line and that he will never leave us nor forsake us as long as we have put our faith and trust in Him. What more could we want or need as we face Bonnie’s cancer and pending bone marrow transplant with Him at the helm as well as the anchor.

Here are some specific prayer requests for the faithful prayer warriors out there:

1)Because the triple lumen had to be removed from a main vein due to it being the possible source of an infection, please pray that god will protect the peripheral veins in her arm from blowing out due to the quantity of antibiotics, antifungal and antiviral, plus minor nutrition bag all being pushed through it.

2)Pray that the yeast infection will be identified and eliminated.

3)Continue to pray that the interval between diarrhea will be minimized

4)Pray for wise choices as it relates to selecting the best possible institution for a bone marrow transplant. Michigan has three locations and one of the three has the designation as a “Center for Excellence” which sounds like it would be the best.

5)Continued prayer for our children Cassandra, Caleb and Callie (18,16 & 14) that God would reveal Himself to them in His word and that this drama would draw them closer to God and each other.

6)One side effect of the chemo (at least in Bonnie’s case) was an odd reaction to both her hands and feet. For several days she experienced an awful redness on her palms and fingers, as well as the sole of her feet. Both were sore, but now her hands are shedding and incredible thickness of skin revealing soft new skin below that is not painful (just soft – with the exception of the dry portion peeling off that would give one the appearance that she has some reptile tendencies.) On the other hand her heels are very sore and have fluid underneath what appears to be large callous. They are painful to walk on and the doctors want to avoid breaking the water if at all possible. The dilemma is that this limits the amount of walking she can do, but they discussed today about providing her with a special boot to help her cope in the interim.

It is so exciting to see God’s hand in this situation and we know that he has a greater purpose that we can’t see, but we do know that we belong to Him and He will never allow us to be snatched from his hand regardless of the magnitude of the trial.
Thank you for all your support. We will need it as we have roughly sketched in what a possible calendar will look like for the long term treatment and transplant. Continue to pray for endurance and lack of discouragement, as well as financial resources. Thank you for the many of you who have sent cards and notes. The nursing staff is blown away by the number of cards with encouraging words that we have tapped up on the wall as part of the many decorations.

God Bless!

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