Update & Request for Prayer: July 2, 2010

For those of you who prayed today for my PICC line removal to be a success, I thank you. It is out and intact and I had very little bleeding – all answers to my prayer requests. Please continue to pray that it does not develop an infection. My daughter, Stephanie, who has almost earned her Masters degree as a Nurse Practitioner, took me. Thanks, Steph!

My cough continues. Perplexing and puzzling to my physicians and me, we will have to continue to be medical sleuths to determine its cause. Fungal cultures from last week’s bronchoscopy “might” reveal some clues in 4-6 weeks. Sigh. My NIH oncologist suggested that the leukemia might be infiltrating my lungs. If we had considered that possibility last week, a sample of lung tissue could have been removed during the biopsy to determine if the leukemia was present. I believe everything happens for a reason and a purpose, so I will try not to second-guess myself and wish that the biopsy had occurred – that would have increased the risks of the procedure, so I will accept it was God’s will that a tissue sample was not removed.

I will write more in another blog update about our blessed visit by my NIH oncologist this week. What an amazing individual, physician and researcher, Dr. M. is! We enjoyed his presence and update on recent updates on treatments and other considerations. When I asked him if I had made a poor decision when I declined treatment with Revlimid earlier this year, he said definitely not and that he was not impressed with the drug’s performance. Revlimid was the drug that had been recommended in 2009 and I declined it after much prayer. It was re-recommended in early 2010 and I felt that if God had directed my paths away from the drug the previous year, that He would not change His mind. He always knows best, doesn’t he?

Dr. M. also suggested that the great tumor load that I am carrying right now could be adding to my infection rate as much as the degree of immune suppression. He believes that treatment might be in order again, very soon. For the ten thousand dollar question – what treatment can I survive? Please pray for this answer to be made crystal clear for me by the Holy Spirit. If the decision is made to resume chemotherapy/immune therapy, it will probably be very soon since we try to time treatment outside of the winter months due to increased risks of flu and other infections.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Happy Birthday, America!