Urgent Request for Prayer: June 23, 2010

What a day!

I received my IV treatment this morning. I continue to run a temperature and was awake early with nausea and diarrhea from the medications. As I had posted earlier, the plan from yesterday (and my how plans in the world of medicine change) was to schedule the sinus endoscopy and bronchoscopy at the same time on Thursday, so I would be sedated once for two procedures.

As I was receiving my IV this morning, my nurse called and said the ENT wanted a set of sinus x-rays ASAP and that he wanted to perform the scope into my sinuses (to obtain culturing material) today. UGH. I raced from the cancer center to the diagnostic center and had the sinus x-rays performed. I returned home and then two hours later made the round trip again to the ENT's office. He used the endoscope without sedation and went into four openings of my sinuses obtain four sets of culturing material. He predicted it will be Monday before we begin receiving reports.

All of our family came tonight and we celebrated my Mom's 67th Birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom (a day early). I am very, very exhausted. I wish I had just been readmitted to ICU yesterday and I could have been rolled around on my bed to all of these appointments. I learned a valuable lesson during this bout of infections and complications. I am just too ill to be on this nonstop outpatient trip to IV's, tests and procedures.

Tomorrow, I will return for my IV from 10-12. I have to arrive for my bronchoscopy at 1 PM. They are estimating that I will be sedated and undergoing the bronchoscopy from 2:30-4:00 (ET). I never dreamed it would be that lengthy. Then they predict I will recover for 2-4 hours and return home. Then I have to return Friday morning at 9 for another IV (IVs will occur back at the hospital on Saturday and Sunday and my all day IVIG treatment is scheduled for Monday). Of course, any new culture results could change all of these plans.

I truly need God's peace and presence for this procedure. I have my MP3 loaded with my praise and worship music. I am asking that as little sedation as possible be used due to my risks of reactions from the drugs themselves. Please pray that this will go flawlessly. If you have time between 1 and 4 PM (ET) tomorrow, please intercede in prayer for me. Please pray for me to be courageous and bold.

Also, tomorrow, as you pray for me, one of my most trusted leukemia advisors, Dr. Terry, will be admitted and undergoing surgery tomorrow. I told him that I would ask my family and friends to pray for him tomorrow as you pray for me. We are both trusting in our Lord and Savior to bring us through yet another round of medical challenges. He is able.