Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Did you ever let your enthusiasm run away with you? What did that look like for you? I sometimes do that when I am feeling well, and boy have I been feeling well. Add to that some other blessings, and you have a combination for getting into a little trouble with your wife, who complains, "I can't keep him down."

On Thursday we met with Dr. Krishnan, the oncologist standing in for Dr. Brow while she is on maternity leave. The main purpose of the meeting was to review the preliminary findings from my recent bone marrow biopsy (BMBx). Dr. K was happy to report (and we were happy to hear) that the microscopic examination of the aspirate and tissue sample showed normal cells in normal numbers and no abnormal cells. He also updated my medication list and asked a bunch of standard review questions. To wit:

  1. Have you had any nausea or vomiting?  -No
  2. Have you had any constipation or diarrhea? -No
  3. Have you had any skin rashes? -Yes. A couple of small ones that disappeared with one dose of hydrocortisone cream. 
  4. How is your appetite? -Too good. I need to cut back before I can't wear my clothes. 
  5. Are you drinking enough water? -Yes, one and a half or two liters daily. 
  6. Any problems with depression or sluggishness? -That's when Jill said, "I can't keep him down." 

All in all it was a very good, encouraging meeting. So that was one blessing. The election is over and we don't have to endure 10,000 political ads on TV. No matter what you think of the outcome of the election, I think we can all agree that the respite from political ads is a blessing.  

Something else we learned from Dr. Krishnan is that, given the stability of my blood counts, having a weekly blood draw is no longer necessary. He suggested getting another one before we meet with Dr. Brow on November 25th. That meant a couple of weeks between labs. That was a nice change, too. Dr. Brow returned to work from her maternity leave yesterday. I found a note she had written on the lab report of the chromosomal analysis portion of my BMBx. It says, "Chromosomal analysis is normal."

We still need to be cautious about exposure to too many people. Dr. K suggested waiting until spring, after the cold and flu season, to mingle with crowds. I guess we will continue to attend church online. On the other hand, we are cleared to get together with family and friends in small groups. So, we are hosting our eldest daughter Tara and our son Patrick and his wife and two daughters for Thanksgiving. We are also longing to have friends over for dinner. 

As for curbing my enthusiasm, well, it isn't easy. With the pandemic followed by three and a half years of leukemia treatment, it has been five years, since we have felt free to enjoy the social life we used to have. I have substituted household projects, in order to use up that energy, but it's just not the same. I will admit, getting all that deferred maintenance under control is satisfying, though. 

I told Jill a couple of days ago that I am going to need to change the focus of this blog pretty soon. No one wants to read about how well a person is! We'll see where that all goes. In the meantime, Praise the Lord for His goodness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! (Refrain from the Hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness!" by Thomas O. Chisolm) Source

Chisolm's hymn reflects the words of the prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations 3:22-23 -

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness."

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 20, 2024 at 7:19 AM

    Such a breath of fresh air to read this today Tom! God ain't done with y'all yet - what big thing has he prepared you and Jill for - for such a time as this?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 20, 2024 at 4:27 PM

    Jumping up and down is a way of using up that enthusiasm. That is what I am doing right now as I read this most recent blog. God truly has been faithful in every sense of the word throughout this entire season. The bone marrow transplant was a kick in the pants to your system to get you going in the right direction. Your journey has been such a testimony of your faith in your Heavenly Father as He has led you by the hand. What a day of celebration when you can enter into any social situation totally free. Hallelujah!! :-) Donalynn

    ReplyDelete

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