Update & Request for Prayer: September 8, 2009

Today my labs revealed a continued decrease in my total white blood count and my all important, infection fighting neutrophils. Normally, I am eager to report any decline in my total white count (I have yet to see a normal white count resulting from this summer's treatment). However, in this instance, it is concerning if the IV antifungal wipes out the very cells that help to fight infection.

I anticipate I will need additional Neupogen injections within a couple of days. One side effect of the new IV antifungal is that it can lower my white blood count, red blood count and platelets. This is all a delicate balancing act - trying to treat the serious infection without jeopardizing my blood counts. While the neutrophils dropped over 5000 with 4 treatments, my platelets and red count both improved. So that is a praise!

I've lost much strength over the weekend - I believe the 11 weeks of Rituxan now combined with this infection and having to go 7 days a week for those treatments are catching up with me. God is truly going to have to be my strength, otherwise I will never make another 3 weeks of these treatments everyday.

As I continue through this battle, I am reminded over and over how perfectly God has created the human body. What takes teams of doctors and uncountable medications to achieve in my body, is daily achieved in the healthy human body without any intervention, awesomely orchestrated by its Creator. I often reflect on the all elusive cancer cure and how complex God created the human body that its mysteries and diseases cannot be understood, conquered or cured by the human mind.

My temperature was back up today and my cough did not sound well overnight and this morning. The cough has sounded better this afternoon.

We (my parents and I) left home at 7:30 AM. Received the IV from 8 to 10 (blew out 3 veins). Lil Man met us at the cancer center and we returned home. He was here all day and then I had to drive back to see my family physician at 4:15 and didn't leave there until 6:00 PM. No wonder I am tired!I just need one day at home to sleep.

My family doctor wants a sinus sputum sample to test to see if the fungus is in the sinus cavities, as well as the lungs. She is quite concerned about the flu and said I probably don't have many more days until "house arrest" (quarantined at home due to flu risks and having limited immune function). We are trying to locate a conjugated pneumonia vaccine for me to receive a few days before my next IVIG on the 21st (best timing for vaccine for those of us receiving IVIG). Everyone involved feels this (conjugated pneumonia vaccine) is the most important attempt I can make for protection. Everyone agrees that my immune system is so bad that taking the regular flu or the H1N1 vaccine will be worthless.

Tomorrow is Lil Man's first birthday and we will repeat today's schedule. His party is not until Saturday, so I am blessed with him here on his birthday. I am decorating his high chair tonight to surprise him in the morning when he arrives.

Please continue praying. We truly need to see my normal 97.4-97.6 temperature return and remain at that temperature. It is vital that I not become neutropenic, so please pray that if this count should bottom out, our spirits will be alerted so that Neupogen can be started. And most importantly, please pray that God will use this drug to eradicate the fungal infection.

Once again, I have watched the return of the giant mushroom in our front yard. Their arrival this time has been more poignant. One day, it was but a tiny speck of white in our front yard and three days later it was six inches tall and probably six inches around. This is part of the reason that fungal infections are so dangerous to me - they can grow quickly and spread out of control in an immune compromised host. We need the fungi in my lungs, skin, and anywhere else it might be lurking to be annihilated and eradicated in quick fashion. God is able ......