Urgent Update & Request for Prayer: September 21, 2010

Please pray as I worsened a lot overnight on Monday. Tuesday morning I learned that I have gram negative rods growing from my lungs in addition to the fungus. Gram negative rods always cause the most alarm since they are a dangerous class of organisms, especially when in the lungs. My doctors suspect pseudomonas and I have skin lesions that also point to pseudomonas. I left my family doctor's office at 10 AM on Tuesday and returned to the cancer center. I was desensitized to IV Tobramycin and will receive that drug along with the IV Micafungin that I have been receiving for the past 10 days. My Infectious Disease doctor extended the IV antifungal for a total of a month instead of 2 weeks, so that will not be ending on this Friday as we had planned. Since the use of more antibiotics can increase fungal growth, discontinuing the IV antifungal was not an option right now.

We will leave early Wednesday morning. I have to be in Indianapolis at 9AM for another PICC line to be installed. I am losing vein access again and we ask for your prayers that I will have no reactions, complications and infections from this procedure and the PICC line itself.

We will leave the hospital around 10:30 and have a two hour drive to the cancer center where I need to be at 12:30 for the IV antibiotic and antifungal. It will probably be 6 before I am finished. I am so weak and having trouble breathing I know the Lord will have to carry me tomorrow.

My local oncologist began Neupogen injections tonight and although I am not neutropenic today, I will receive it daily until we get the upper hand on these lung infections and to help prevent infections from tomorrow's PICC installation. Also, my very helpful insurance case manager has obtained approval for at home oxygen for me so I am eager to have that delivered to ease my labored breathing. It is nearing 2AM and I am all too aware that I have to be awake in 4 hours, however, I am coughing and wheezing so much I cannot lay down and breathe easily.

I need another miracle. Please pray I do not end up on a ventilator and the infections will quickly respond to these drugs. Also pray for protection of my kidneys. These drugs are both harsh on kidneys and earlier this week my creatinine level (indicates kidney challenges) was creeping upward. The Tobramycin levels have to be carefully monitored because in addition to kidney damage, the Tobra can cause deafness.

Thank you for praying and if anyone is inclined to pray and fast for me, now is one of those times that I need the prayerful support of others. I taught Lil Man before he was one year old to fold his hands in the prayer position when I would ask him to say prayers for Grammy. Now his Mommy has taught him this - after he puts his hands together to pray, she asks him what he is praying for Grammy and he replies, "Miracle!" It brings tears to my eyes because that is what Grammy truly needs right now.

May I also request prayer for one of our daughters who was in a wreck this evening...three young men ran a stop sign and their cars collided. Fortunately, an off duty policeman was following our daughter and witnessed the other car run the stop sign. She is home from the hospital but has a sprained back and neck and contussions. The doctors told her to expect alot of pain tomorrow. Please pray for her to heal quickly, her pain to be minimal and thank God with us for His divine hand of protection upon her. The policeman told her how near she came to the other car crashing into her driver's side door.

With love and gratitude ........