Still No News

We still haven't heard from the doctors yet.  We thought it would be by tonight but obviously they're keeping us in suspense til the morning.  Thank you for all your prayers today.  Mom is doing well and has felt a lot of peace in this waiting period.  Her bone marrow biopsy procedure yesterday went as well as it could've gone.  She said it may be the least painful one she's ever had.  I will update the blog tomorrow when we hear more.

Love you all.

Biopsy Tomorrow

Hi...I hope you're all doing well this Sunday night.  Mom is feeling well.  She hasn't had a fever in a couple days.  We are hopeful that her counts are on the rise because her white count went up a couple points today.  Her counts need to go up before she can go home so that she has the ability to fight off germs and other things that could cause sickness.  We're definitely happy to see the numbers begin to move!

Tomorrow around 9 or 10 am they will do a bone marrow biopsy.  This is similar to a blood draw where they evaluate her numbers but it is looking in the place where blood is actually developed.  This gives them the best look to know whether she is in remission or if they still see cancer cells being formed.  We are praying so hard, and ask for prayer from you all, that Mom is cancer FREE!  We should hear from the doctor by Tuesday evening or Wednesday.

It's obviously a more stressful time for Mom and all of us.  These are the days that she feels fine and is feeling ready to get out of here and go home for Christmas, but she has to wait on the results of the test this week.

WE WILL BE DOING ANOTHER FAST DAY ON TUESDAY.  We are so thankful for all our family and friends who joined us last week as we prayed for Mom's health to improve.  This week we ask for prayer that she is in remission and that her counts continue to go up.  She also needs prayer for peace.  I said something about this when she first got in the hospital a few weeks ago, but we are trying to focus on counting our blessings and praise God for all He has done for us, rather than letting the fear of the unknown take over.  We are so blessed.

Much love to you all.

Another Prayer Request

Mom is doing fine today.  She is asking for prayers because her team of doctors came in this morning and said they think there is still a bacteria in her that they have yet to take care of.  Over the last 24 hours, she still has had fevers that they are concerned about, although they're not nearly as high as the beginning of the week.  Mom said that she is feeling fine today and doesn't really notice the fevers, but it's not good on her body to continue to have them.  They are adding another antibiotic and are going to see if that takes away the fevers.  If she still has fevers, then they will do a MRI tomorrow to try to locate the source of infection.

Mom asks for prayers that the fevers disappear and the infections in her body are gone.  Thanks for your prayers.

Update

I just wanted to share that Mom is feeling better today than she has felt in the past 3 days.  Her very high fevers have subsided.  She will still battle some fevers over the next day or so, but thankfully not as high.  They have pinpointed the bacteria and are giving her the antibiotic she needs.  They are going to continue this antibiotic until her counts come back up in the next couple weeks.  Mom is feeling well enough to go on short walks, eat her meals, and talk with her visitors (thanks for staying last night, Patti!).  She's still been sleepy today since they have lots of medicine in her, and probably will continue to feel this way for some time.

Thank you for all your prayers and support throughout the hard days we've just seen.  I've heard from a handful of people about their day of fasting and it seems to have brought us all a bit closer to God as we talk to Him throughout our day.  Mom absolutely feels God's presence and love and it is carrying her through.  Please continue to pray for Mom, as she still needs strength for now and a healing from the cancer forever.  We praise God for His blessings.

Julie also just shared a post today, so please read below...

A friend of mine shared this with me this morning and I wanted to share it with everyone reading this blog :) It's called "Take Heart" by Hillsong United..

All our troubles
And all our tears
God our Hope
He has overcome

All our failures
And all our fear
God our love 
He has overcome
All our heartache
And all our pain
God our Healer
He has overcome

All our burdens
And all our shame
God our Freedom
He has overcome

All our troubles
And all our tears
God our Hope
He has OVERCOME

God our justice
God our grace
God our freedom
He has OVERCOME

God our refuge
God our strength
God is with us
He has OVERCOME

Prayer needed

Mom is still battling some high fevers last night into this morning.  The doctors say this is normal when you have an infection in her state.  She is neutropenic, which means the chemo has destroyed everything in her blood, good and bad.  This is how they get her in remission, but it also weakens her system and she has no ability to fight off infection on her own.  Like I said before, they are giving her antibiotics to combat this infection.  Sometimes it takes a couple days to alleviate the fevers and other problems associated with the infection. 

We ask for prayers today that she comes out of this state and feels strong once again.  Last night she was feeling pretty down emotionally (when she could stay awake which was not long at all). 

Also, today is the day we are fasting together.  If you haven't read about that it is in one of the previous posts.  You can join us now if you'd like.  Thank you so much for all your support!

Harder days

Today has been a continuation of what was happening yesterday, as Adam talked about in the last post.  Mom battled some high fevers through the night so the doctors and nurses helped her deal with those as best as they could.  She slept well between the times they were checking on her or doing something for her.  That's an improvement from the night before when her chills kept her awake.  The fevers and the medicine have made her very tired so she has still been sleeping most of the day today.  Her team of doctors came in this morning and said they do see she has a bacterial infection which is causing her fevers.  They are now giving her antibiotics to treat the infection and expect her to feel better within 24 hours. 

When she is awake, which is rare, her attitude is positive and she seems happy.  I am impressed with her strength once again.  God is absolutely hearing our prayers and bringing her through this difficult time.  He's sent His peace that passes all understanding.

Mom has a hope greater than anything on earth can promise us.  She trusts in her Savior who we are celebrating this Christmastime.  John Piper wrote:  This omnipotent, effective, protecting love does not spare us from calamities in this life, but brings us safe to everlasting joy with God.  

May He continue to give Mom joy despite her trials, and all of her friends and family as well.