It's the Best Day Ever!

One of our grandson's favorite new songs to sing in his two year old singing voice is, "It's The Best Day Ever!" So I echo those lyrics today. Today (and everyday) is the BEST day ever. No matter what life brings our direction, life is so precious and priceless, we need to be reminded to celebrate each moment we have air in our lungs.

This is a post about praises to the Most High God - my Everything. I praise Him for what He has carried me through the past 48 hours. Forty-eight hours ago, I was at the cancer center, receiving my IV antibiotic. The nurse alerted me that my hemoglobin was down two points from Monday. My family doctor told me to go straight to the gynecologist office since the blood loss has continued to be severe. So my husband picked me up and took me to her office. The news was grim. She told me that if we did not intervene, despite the risks of infection and reactions for me, that this blood loss was going to result in my going into shock and possibly dying from it. She told me to go home and pack my bags and medicines and report to ICU. An uterine ablation was scheduled for the early morning hours and I was type and cross matched for the search for more blood for transfusions to be located.

One would think that a night alone before surgery in the dark and quiet of an ICU room, would arouse fear and trepidation in one's heart. I only slept for an hour but spent the rest of the night praying, listening to my praise and worship music and reading God's Word. I sought His perfect peace and courage to face the next day. Since I have so many drug reactions, the concerns were about how to sedate me and how to prevent infection risks. I asked God for the courage and peace to not to be put to sleep and to just ask for a local Lidocaine injection.

They rechecked my hemoglobin after midnight and alarmingly, it had dropped even further and was approaching the dangerous 5 (normal range 12-16) level. Discussion was made by the physicians involved and they elected to perform the procedure and then follow it with two transfusions of packed red blood cells. (Again, I thank all of you blood donors!)

A bit before 8 AM yesterday my beloved family physician arrived at the hospital and told me that she was going to surgery with me. Talk about an answer to prayer - she alone knows all of my reactions, what to do with the reactions, and everything about my body. This dear, precious doctor went to the operating room with me and left her practice. She sat right beside my head, holding my hand and gently telling me what was happening, each step of the way. The perfect peace of God was so intense in that operating room that I just put my MP3 ear buds in my ears with my worship music in the ear the doctor was not using to communicate, prayed and I made it without being sedated! When I was finished, the anesthesiologist said, "If I just had that done to me I would've died without anesthesia!" Then he said I could even bypass the recovery room since I had not been sedated and return to my ICU room! What the Great Physician can do with us when He is the Chief of our Medical Teams.

In addition to the other very particular requirements that my blood must meet, this time the irradiated, CMV negative, leukodepleted blood was also washed. My very wise retired NIH oncologist, Dr. M., told me after the four transfusions earlier this month, to have my doctor have the blood washed. I struggle so hard with reactions to blood products. Washing the cells this time made such a difference - no reactions and I tolerated faster rates so the entire units could be infused without any wasting. (It is challenging to envision the person who had to wash each one of those little red blood cells, isn't it?) :-)

The plan on Tuesday was for me to stay until Friday in ICU and then return home for the weekend and receive IVIG on Monday. God had His plan ....they wheeled me out of ICU at 10 PM last night and I slept like a baby at home. Isn't that astounding? I'm very weak still and I am typing this from the cancer center since I had to return for my IV antibiotics today (and tomorrow).

Today, on my drive here, both my family physician and the gynecologist contacted me within an hour of each other, to tell me the uterine biopsy is BENIGN!!! YAY GOD! Such a relief.....

And more good news - my hemoglobin is 10 today! Just two more points and I am "normal". (Those near to me might debate if I am ever "normal"!)

Your prayers for me were apparent. Once again I am humbled and I stand in amazement at what He has pulled me through this time. Despite what unreal, challenging weeks these have been, God has shown Himself mighty over and over again. To God be the glory . To you I send my gratitude and love.

Soon it will be February and Stacie is going to be healthier and stronger and not be admitted to ICU or have to go for outpatient IV's on any day in February! AMEN?