Lemonade

Follow the bouncing ball. Nine days ago, I got a new lab report on my blood. It showed that my platelets were low...very low. Oncology started closely monitoring the situation, and I had another blood draw two days later. Platelets still going down. Another blood draw the following day showed a minor decline in platelets, so Dr. Waugh put me on a heavy dose of steroids. 

Friday, my platelets stabilized. Sunday, they were still stable, but my hemoglobin and red blood cell counts were down, and my neutrophil (white cell) count was up. These are not good signs. Yesterday, after finishing the round of steroids, my platelets were still low, but stable, my hemoglobin was back to normal and my white count was slightly lower. Good signs. 

So, where does this leave us? I'm scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy next week. In the meantime, I can feel the effects of the low platelets. It makes me feel a bit dizzy. If I turn my head quickly, it begins to spin a bit. I also am concerned about my platelets getting so low that I am in danger of a bleed of some kind. Worst would be in my brain, but I'm not going to worry about that, since there's nothing I can do about it, except follow doctors' orders. 

So, whereas I was feeling like a man with a cure a couple of weeks ago, I am now dealing with the effects of my illness in a very real way. 

But look at the bright side. I have a wife who dotes on me and tends to my every need without complaint; in fact with joy. I have lots of prayer warriors on the job. I am not in physical pain, like one of our dear friends who has stage 4 kidney cancer. 

We have been able to have our daughter here for her birthday last weekend. We have other relatives visiting now, and I am doing my best to keep up and live "normally," with a fair amount of success. I was pretty tired at bedtime last night, but I slept pretty well. 

And the piéce de resistance, I have a God who has walked hand in hand with me through a year of battling this cancer. He is there in the night. He fills up my heart with joy every morning. There is no hopelessness or fear. And I am learning to live in the moment; something that I have had difficulty doing all my life. 

So bring on the lemons, and let's make some lemonade!

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalm 138:8)

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in [me] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

 

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