Be careful...


BOX SCORE




Element

Current

Std. Range

Trend

Hemoglobin

10.5

13-17

v

Platelets

63

140-375

v

ANC

1410

1800-8300

v

Be careful what you wish for! The old saw has merit. We have been looking forward to the autumn rains. It was a very dry summer. Well, here it comes. We are expecting what is called an atmospheric river to pass over us in the next few days. Forecasts call for as much as 4.25 inches of rain during the next three days. As of 7AM we already have over a quarter inch of rain recorded by our backyard weather station since midnight. We had a day with 3.75" of rain a year or two ago, which was not a problem for us, although it did cause some flooding in the area. Of more concern  to us is the wind, which is predicted to be pretty high. Last year we had a day of winds in the 30-40 mph category, and it blew our shed off its foundation. 

Of course, not all of our wishes come true, as you well know. We wish my leukemia would just go away, but it does not look promising. As you can see from the Box Score today, my blood counts are falling, as expected. We never know how low they will go, but so far I have experienced no ill effects during this cycle. ANC is high enough that LLYH* is in effect until Monday's labs. Bottom line, we continue to come boldly to the throne of God's grace with our prayers for this pesky cancer to just go away. If you pray, please join us in praying for relief. 

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

The wonderful thing about God's grace is that it gives us great confidence, even in difficult times. So, as the Proverbs tell us, we maintain cheerful hearts.

A joyful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

But even dry bones are not a problem for the Lord, who promised Ezekiel that he could raise them up into living souls. Ezekiel's vision was, of course, immortalized in the old spiritual Dry Bones. Hear the word of the Lord! from the Delta Rhythm Boys. 

May your heart be joyful and your spirit not crushed.


* Live Like You're Healed

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. BenjyNovember 7, 2022 at 10:13 AM

    Love that idea Tom! I read an article by John Piper recently about how in Christ "we become what we are" - living our eternal reality every day - Kingdom living!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TomNovember 7, 2022 at 10:44 AM

      Thanks, Ben. God never wastes anything. This season is growing our faith and making us "become what we are." There is nothing quite so humbling as realizing just how helpless I am in my own power. I thank God that He has a vision (version?) of me that he is constantly molding into "who I am."

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNovember 7, 2022 at 10:11 PM

    Amen Tom. Thank you for the encouragement and be blessed. Donalynn :-)

    ReplyDelete

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