Celebrating Christmas

On Tuesday this past week, Jim went to his doctor's office where a blood draw was done. They found that his counts were low as expected, but no transfusions were needed. We all went to the Christmas Eve service at our church and enjoyed a quiet and relaxing Christmas Day with just our family.

On Friday, Jim had another appointment at 8:00 a.m. He was expecting a blood draw and arrangements to be made for a transfusion since he suspected his counts might be a little lower. They found his counts were very, very low - lower than they expected. They arranged for transfusions, but would not let Jim leave the hospital since his counts were dangerously low. He was admitted on an outpatient basis to the Oncology Unit where he waited for hemoglobin and platelets to be delivered to the hospital and cross-typed for him. At about 3:15 in the afternoon, the first bag was hung for him to receive. By the time he received all the transfusions that were necessary, it was 11:00 p.m. - a very long day. Saturday was a day planned to spend with the Miller side of the family and thankfully, Jim's Mom and Dad arrived Friday evening and visited Jim to help him pass the time.

On Saturday, the entire Miller clan arrived at our house to celebrate Christ's birth. It was good medicine for Jim. He loves visitors, and it was great to see family members we don't see often. We were all careful to wear our masks so as not to take any chances with Jim's low immune system. Jim tires easily now because of his low counts and had to take time out to rest but thoroughly enjoyed his day.

We are thankful for a wonderful holiday season to spend with family and friends. We wish you all the joys this season brings, but especially to know Christ as Savior who is faithful as He leads us through this difficult journey with leukemia.

One More Under Our Belt

I was able to pick up Jim today and take him home! This week of chemotherapy has finally come to an end. Jim is worn out but feeling better than the last time he had chemotherapy. He did develop a rash on his leg that is bothersome to him. He laid low pretty much all day. He is due back to the doctor's office on Tuesday. We expect that barring any complications, he will go back in for his final week of chemotherapy in the Consolidation Phase on January 13. For now, we will watch him closely as his blood counts will probably drop some over the next week or so.

Thanks for your continued interest. Please pray that Jim's rash would resolve quickly and the itching would be relieved. Pray also that Jim would remain healthy during this time.

Looking forward to celebrating Christmas this week with family and friends.

Ice Storm!

This is what we woke up to this morning in Fort Wayne! School was cancelled and many in our area are without power. We thanked God more than once today that we did not lose our power. The part of the hospital that houses the medical offices was without power, but, of course, the oncology unit was fine. They did, however, lose cable TV in all the rooms which made for a long boring day for Jim when he doesn't feel well. Visitors and phone calls are always welcome!

Jim is doing as well as can be expected. He generally feels lousy - what he called "chemo achiness." He has developed an itchy rash which he also had the last time he received chemo. Nausea has been well controlled with medication. We are pleased to report that overall he seems to be tolerating the chemotherapy better this time around. Today was the first day he asked for morphine which seemed to help. We are looking forward to this week coming to an end and are eager to have Jim home again with us on Sunday. There always seems to be an underlying stress when Jim is in the hospital. It makes for a long, hard, exhausting week. I thought of this verse again today, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28.

Better Than We Expected

During this week-long stay in the hospital, Jim receives chemo every other day. The last time Jim was in the hospital, we found that the day he received the chemo wasn't too bad, but the next day was a tough day of enduring the side effects. Today was Jim's day off after receiving chemo yesterday, and we were pleasantly surprised at how well Jim felt. He was a little achy and asked for medication for nausea at times, but generally speaking had no pain and was able to received visitors.

We count this as answered prayer and thank you for interceding on our behalf. Please continue to pray for Jim this week that the chemotherapy would kill any leukemia cells that might be present but that the side effects would continue to be minimal. Pray specifically that his muscle achiness would subside and that the medication for nausea would continue to be effective. We are humbled again as we have been reminded of how many people are lifting us up before the Lord and grateful for the love and care from those around us.

This Just Doesn't Get Any Easier

We knew this day was coming. The day when Jim's counts would be high enough, and he would be admitted for another week of chemo. We knew he would be receiving the same chemotherapy drug as he did last time, and we knew he would be on the same medication he was on before to help counteract the side effects. There were no surprises and nothing we didn't expect, but we still found this day very difficult. Jim and I both shed tears again today as we continue to face this fight with cancer. I've been experiencing back pain that I am sure is related to stress, and Jim has complained of a queasy stomach for the last couple of days. It all seems pretty straightforward in terms of the protocol, so it surprised me at how difficult this day was.

We arrived at the Cancer Center at Lutheran Hospital at 7:30 this morning for a blood draw. Jim's counts were satisfactory and he was admitted, had a PIC line put in again through which to receive the chemo, and began the first chemotherapy treatment of the week by 1:30 p.m. I was able to spend the entire morning with Jim and some time again this evening. We were brought to our knees as we heard things going on around us on the Oncology Unit - a very sick man in the next room, moaning in pain as the nurses hustle to help him; an overheard conversation while in a waiting room of two daughters discussing hospice care with a social worker for their mother whom the doctors have said there is nothing more they can do. We are again made aware of how serious cancer is and specifically the leukemia which Jim is fighting.

Somehow, Jim continues to maintain a positive attitude and keeps his spirits high. He is very strong and trusts in his Lord as he continues to fight this disease. Today we found ourselves asking God for the same things we prayed for in the beginning when Jim was diagnosed with leukemia - a peace from God that passes all understanding, for His mercies that are new every morning and for the comfort we receive when we are still and know that He is God and is in control. The doctors and nurses seem to enjoy Jim as their patient and are all pleased at how well he is doing. Please pray that Jim would be comfortable this week and that the medications he receives to counteract the side effects would be effective. Also, please continue to pray with us that Jim would be completely healed of this disease.

Thank you again for your love and care for us and for all your concern and prayers.

Enjoying the Weekend

I've neglected to update this blog, but it was all for good reasons. Jim has been feeling good and got the okay to be out in public, so we have been enjoying our weekend. We enjoyed a visit with Jim's parents on Friday and attended Brad's Christmas concert with the Fort Wayne Children's Choir. Saturday was date night for Jim and I when we enjoyed dinner out, and Sunday was the first time in a while that Jim was able to attend church. It was great for him to see everyone again and for everyone to see him. That's always an encouragment.

Jim had a doctor's appointment last Friday, and while his blood counts have gone up and no transfusions were needed, they are not high enough for him to undergo more chemotherapy. They asked him to return again on Tuesday and will check his numbers again then. If they are sufficient, he will be admitted for another round of chemo.

Please continue to pray for our family as even though we are anxious to get all these treatments over with, we still do not look forward to this tough week of chemo. Pray that the side effects would be minimal for Jim and that we would wait upon God for His timing in regard to the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Holding on Tight

This was a sweet moment at our home when Kyle crawled into his Dad's lap and just hugged Jim for a long time. I love how he held on tight to his Dad. So much love and security there.

Just as Kyle holds on tight to his Dad, we are holding on tight to our heavenly Father as we continue this journey of battling leukemia. We give Him the praise for how he has held us through this ordeal so far and we trust Him for the days to come.

Jim went in for a blood draw this morning. His platelets and white blood cell count are low which was expected, but they are on the upswing and are higher than they were last Friday. He is no longer neutropenic and he has the okay to be out in public among healthy people and his diet restrictions have been lifted. His hemoglobin, however, is low and a transfusion is required for that. Hemoglobin carries the oxygen in the blood. Jim expected that he might need a transfusion because he has been a little short of breath at times. He will receive the transfusion tomorrow morning. Jim's next appointment will be on Friday when he will see his doctor. We will find out for sure on Friday when he will be admitted again for the next round of chemotherapy, but we are expecting it to be on Monday, December 15.

We appreciate your prayers. Pray that Jim could enjoy some days of feeling good and have some energy again before his next round of chemo.

Housekeeping Item

When I started this blog, I received a couple emails from people saying they weren't able to leave comments. Since I was new to the blogging world, I had no idea why. Jim was tinkering around with the settings on the blog this week and was able to open up the option to comment to everyone, not just registered users. So, if you haven't been able to leave a comment before, but would like to, give it a try now. Hopefully, it will work!

Jim goes in for a blood draw tomorrow. I'll give an update then. Again, thanks for your continued interest and concern.

A Note From Jim

I spent today in Indianapolis with Kyle at a doctor’s appointment, leaving Jim home alone. When I returned, he had composed the following about our dinner last night:

Ok. It was one of those days. Nothing had gone bad. The day had gone fairly well. Do we need anything? No. Its dinnertime, and what’s for dinner? Five o’clock and we haven’t planned anything yet. The kids had a good day at school. Marilyn had a good day at work. I got a unit of platelets and even ran a couple of small errands (maybe I shouldn’t have because of my low WBC count). And no one was exhausted yet – tired from the day – but not exhausted. So what’s for dinner? At this point we start thinking - what’s easy? What’s quick? Here are our options: grab and growl – not much in the way of leftovers but we can make it; run down to Scott’s and get a precooked chicken and deli salad; order pizza; go out (again, not a good idea because of my low WBC). Just as we were going to select the least worst option, the phone rang. A fellow church member called and asked if he could come over and deliver dinner. At that late hour, he thought we could save it and have it another night. He was thinking that he was providing extra – not giving immediate provisions. We were getting meals during the most difficult times while I was in the hospital, but we had stopped them. After all, we had our needs covered, and we were doing well. So last night we had lasagna for dinner. It came in cooked and hot. We didn’t have to wait for a 30 minute delivery. We didn’t have to prepare or wait for preparation. The meal was delicious. I haven’t eaten so much since I got sick.

To wrap up, do I choose a verse, or song lyrics?

Matthew 7:9-11 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!(NIV) We didn’t ask but God still provided.

Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanksgiving. It was December 3rd, not Thanksgiving Day, but it still works for me.

How about song lyrics:

“Thy compassions they fail not” or “Strength for today bright hope for tomorrow” (Great is Thy Faithfulness). “Count your many blessings see what God has done.” (Count Your Blessings), “Mercy drops ‘round us are falling, but for those showers we plead.” (Showers of Blessings). Boy we got drenched with that mercy drop.
“If we are the Body, why aren’t His arms reaching?” (If we are the Body) Well, I have to tell you, His arms are reaching and holding our family.

There are tears of sorrow, tears of pain, and tears of joy. Right now I have tears of gratitude and thanksgiving.

Thank you, Joe. Thank you, God.

Jim

Here's the Update

Jim saw his doctor on Monday. His platelets were at an all time low of 4,000. He received more platelets in the afternoon in addition to what he received last Friday and Saturday. He also complained that his throat was sore. The doctor considered admitting him because his throat did look red on examination. He chose instead to see him today for a recheck.

Jim went in first thing this morning. His platelets were at 9,000. They have to be at least 10,000 or more or else he must receive a transfusion. So even though they went from 4 to 9, he still needed more platelets today. His white blood count is slowly beginning to rise, however, so that's good news. He still needs to wear a mask or stay clear of other people, but we're encouraged that this may come to an end soon if his counts continue to rise. Nothing became of the sore throat. He felt fine today. We count that as answered prayer.

Jim did have a little more energy today. He called me at work to report that he actually did something today. He has been tired of everything being an effort. It was nice to see him a little more active and energetic today.

Here's how you can pray:

• Pray that Jim's counts would continue to rise and that he would have a few days of feeling good before he goes in for more chemotherapy on December 15.
  
• Pray for rest for me and organization as I prepare for Christmas with our family.

Thanks again for your interest and concern for us. We treasure each comment and email and phone call.