T+4 The end of an era?

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	7	13-17	^
Platelets	45	140-375	v
ANC	MIA	1800-8300	-

Have you ever noticed how things change? Phonograph records gave way to 8 Track tapes. Eight track tapes gave way to Tape Cassettes, which gave way to CDs. The great, big cars of the fifties with their fins and huge trunk spaces gave way to smaller, more aerodynamic, more fuel efficient cars. There is a phrase we use to capture these changes: "The end of an era." Sometimes there are good reasons for the abrupt end of an era, like the 1973 gas crunch, when the OPEC nations decided to strangle the oil supply. Suddenly, big, luxurious, inefficient cars were too much of a luxury for middle class people, and the auto makers had to adapt or die. 

Today, I am, once again, plugged into my pal Olive Oyl. So far, I have received red blood cells, magnesium, Mesna, and Cyclophosphamide, which is a chemotherapeutic agent. It hadn't occurred to me to ask, but Jill asked the nurse who started the Cyclophosphamide infusion, "Is this the last chemo he will ever need?" In other words, "Is this the end of an era?" 

Of course no one but the Lord Himself knows what will be in the future, but according to the theory of bone marrow transplant (BMT), I have a new immune system that will destroy any remaining leukemia cells and produce only healthy new blood cells. There will be some compromises, especially since my donor match was only 7 out of 8 genetic markers, which means that graft versus host disease (GVHD) is a force to be contended with. My medical team has a plan for managing that. Dr. Meyers told us that the worst thing that can happen after transplant is that the leukemia relapses, but if that should happen, chemotherapy is an option.

The medical staff here at OHSU is very experienced, and therefore they give us patients a great deal of confidence. So, when the nurse said, "It should be the last chemo Tom needs," well, Jill and I both got a lift from that. I have also been told by the doctors and PAs that I am a boring patient. Fine with me. I do boring well, and I would prefer to be boring, when it comes to medical stuff! 

So, is this the end of an era? For now it certainly is, and we feel like celebrating. Does this mean the battle is over? Well, no, there are still potential challenges ahead, but the team has a plan, and so far the plan has been working exactly as it was described to us beforehand. And God continues to carry us through the challenges one day at a time. Confidence is high.

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. (2 Corinthians 3:4)