Hi Everyone!
It's good to be home. I wish I could say I have rested, but I've been trying to finish up the last loose ends preparing for the first day of school for Megan and Julia. We have had fun doing it though :-)
I'm still in a lot of pain, but not the level I experienced in the hospital. Pray for a speedy recovery. We are taking a mini vacation down the shore in my brothers place for a few days next week. The good thing is now that my pickline is out, I can enjoy the beach and ocean. The bad thing is if I'm not fully healed from my infections, it will limit some of my activities. Julia wants me to take her out on a wave runner, and I only know one speed; Full Throttle! LOL
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. This last round has been more testing to my endurance and has caused me to not look forward to the next three. I have also had the normal life stresses weighing heavy on my heart. However, I know God is faithful. Trusting God is not something that comes naturally, its a discipline. We can choose to go it alone or give it to God. We need to continually remind ourselves of Who God is, What He has done for you in the past, and What He Promises to do. This is a daily process. Sometimes I find it easier to trust God in the big things and want to hold on to the little things that I feel I have more control over. Any of you do the same? If you know the story of the Israelites, then you know that we are not alone. They witnessed big miracles from God but when trouble or famine would set in they would forget Who God is and What He has done and promised to do. Don't lose hope when you doubt, but instead take some time to renew your mind and set your eyes upward and look to Christ. It will change your perspective and renew your hope and give you new strength to press on.
Love you all!
~Edie
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Released - Last Night
A quick update ...
I got a text message from Edie last night and she is now at home again. Her counts came back up (I believe white cells) and in conjunction with that the fevers have stopped. Her pain level had also dropped from a 10 to a 5. Soooo ... last night they let her go home. Once I actually get to talk to her I will post more.
Keep on praying - things to keep in mind as you do ... that she will feel better and can be there(physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) for the girls as they start school the first week of September, (I know that Jim took them back to school shopping), getting to a point where she feels good for a bit before she has to go back for the next round of chemo, peace, strength.
Respectfully,
Faith
I got a text message from Edie last night and she is now at home again. Her counts came back up (I believe white cells) and in conjunction with that the fevers have stopped. Her pain level had also dropped from a 10 to a 5. Soooo ... last night they let her go home. Once I actually get to talk to her I will post more.
Keep on praying - things to keep in mind as you do ... that she will feel better and can be there(physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) for the girls as they start school the first week of September, (I know that Jim took them back to school shopping), getting to a point where she feels good for a bit before she has to go back for the next round of chemo, peace, strength.
Respectfully,
Faith
Saturday, August 16, 2008
A New Room
Edie has been moved to room 3001. I chatted with her yesterday. Her fevers have been high, with chills and bodyaches. They removed the picline and have started her on antibiotics since they still believe that is where the infection was. Since the picline was removed she has her IV pole back. She has had some blood and platelet transfusions since she was admitted. She is slighty bored.
Respectfully,
Faith
Respectfully,
Faith
Friday, August 15, 2008
At the Hospital
I got a text message late last night from Edie. She is back at the hospital. She developed a fever "they are troubleshooting where the infection is. It might be the picline in my arm." In addition to the fever she was suffering from a migraine. She is in Rhoads 4 room 11. She thinks she will be there about a week. I am sure that I will hear more today and will let you all know as soon as I do ... assuming that there aren't thunder storms taking out our net!
Respectfully,
Faith
Respectfully,
Faith
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Good to be Home
It's been good to be home again. I am continually thankful for the love and support that my family and church family have been blessing me with:-)
Today the nurse came out to take labs and teach me how to give my self an injection. I was not real keen on learning how to stick my self with a needle. I'm a bit squimish with that stuff and tend to pass out. Good thing is I got through it and it wasn't too bad. I have to do it for 15 days. I could not imagine being diabetic and needing to do that everyday. Ughh. After dinner this evening I noticed my arm was sore than I realized every inch of me was sore, a side effect of the medicine I'm injecting to be a counteract to the Chemo side effects. I guess they exchange one evil for another lesser kind. Who knows..... LOL. Tylenol should help though. I've also began to feel a little tired, but no fevers, nausea or infections. Praise God!
2 Peter 1:3-5 " As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better." (NLT) - Take some time to get to know Jesus better. It's Jesus that gives us all we need, we just forget that His power is at work within us and for us. Don't get stuck trying to not be anxious, or doing your best to follow God on your own strength. He has already given you all you need, just rest in His power and know His goodness and believe God is who he says he is and does what He says; Comforter, Counselor, Healer, Provider, Protector, All Powerful, Strong Tower, etc... You know what I mean.
Love,
~Edie
Today the nurse came out to take labs and teach me how to give my self an injection. I was not real keen on learning how to stick my self with a needle. I'm a bit squimish with that stuff and tend to pass out. Good thing is I got through it and it wasn't too bad. I have to do it for 15 days. I could not imagine being diabetic and needing to do that everyday. Ughh. After dinner this evening I noticed my arm was sore than I realized every inch of me was sore, a side effect of the medicine I'm injecting to be a counteract to the Chemo side effects. I guess they exchange one evil for another lesser kind. Who knows..... LOL. Tylenol should help though. I've also began to feel a little tired, but no fevers, nausea or infections. Praise God!
2 Peter 1:3-5 " As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better." (NLT) - Take some time to get to know Jesus better. It's Jesus that gives us all we need, we just forget that His power is at work within us and for us. Don't get stuck trying to not be anxious, or doing your best to follow God on your own strength. He has already given you all you need, just rest in His power and know His goodness and believe God is who he says he is and does what He says; Comforter, Counselor, Healer, Provider, Protector, All Powerful, Strong Tower, etc... You know what I mean.
Love,
~Edie
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Getting to Recover at Home This Time Around
I’m so excited to be coming home tonight. Although it’s late, it’s thrilling to know I will get to sleep in my own bed without interruptionsJ Tonight is my last treatment for this round of Chemo. I’m not neutropenic yet, that will come in a few days and last for about 2 weeks. Neutropenic means that my white blood cells are extremely low and I am very vulnerable to infections and experience fatigue and maybe some nausea and other common side effects from the Chemo. This treatment has been at a higher dose than last and I did have some nausea the other day, but the meds helped. Overall, my stay at the hospital has been uneventful. In fact, I’ve been quite bored. I read two books, did several puzzles, and watched a little TV. I took another walk today to PotBelly’s because my lunch was not desirable. The line at PotBelly’s was so long that I went over to McDonald’s instead. I haven’t had greasy junk food in a long time. It was more appetizing than my prepared lunch, but I think it will be a while before I do that again. LOL.
Thank you Jeanne K, Brianne G, and Lisa B for coming over to clean in preparation of my homecoming, I greatly appreciate your giving of your time and energy to bless me and my family. Thank you for all the love and support you have poured out on us.
Do you lack Peace?? Are you fearful about the “What ifs?? Do you have your spiritual armor on?? Psalm 91:1-5 reminds us that; “Those who live in the Shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting in Him. For He swill rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protections. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor fear the dangers of the day.” God has used this passage to bring me great comfort. If you lack peace or are fearful about the “what ifs”, it may be because you are seeking your comfort, security or peace in something other than God. Your health, your job, your spouse, your friends will fall short, but the Lord God Almighty will never fail and his promises endure forever. He is faithful and will protect you and provide you with an unsurpassing peace in the midst of your trials if you would only seek Him alone and find rest in the shadow of His wings.
Love,
~Edie
Thank you Jeanne K, Brianne G, and Lisa B for coming over to clean in preparation of my homecoming, I greatly appreciate your giving of your time and energy to bless me and my family. Thank you for all the love and support you have poured out on us.
Do you lack Peace?? Are you fearful about the “What ifs?? Do you have your spiritual armor on?? Psalm 91:1-5 reminds us that; “Those who live in the Shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting in Him. For He swill rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protections. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor fear the dangers of the day.” God has used this passage to bring me great comfort. If you lack peace or are fearful about the “what ifs”, it may be because you are seeking your comfort, security or peace in something other than God. Your health, your job, your spouse, your friends will fall short, but the Lord God Almighty will never fail and his promises endure forever. He is faithful and will protect you and provide you with an unsurpassing peace in the midst of your trials if you would only seek Him alone and find rest in the shadow of His wings.
Love,
~Edie
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Hospital Stay Day 2
Hi Everyone!
Hope your all doing well! I was admitted back to Penn late Thursday night, we started Chemo Friday. This round of Chemo is 2x a day at a higher dose than before, but only every other day for 3 days. Sunday will be my second set and Tuesday will be my last. They say that if I don't have a fever or any other complications, I can go home after my last treatment on Tuesday night and get to sleep in my own bed. Yippe!!
I feel pretty good. So far no complications, just utter boredom. My counts aren't low yet so I've been able to leave the floor and walk out the hospital over to Pot Belly's, a little deli across the street. That's the excitement of my day. lol. Nap's are next to impossible. I tried to take a 2 hour nap today. Tried being the key word. Every 10-15 minutes someone would come in to check my vitals, or clean the room, etc.... I was ready to make a sign; Do Not Disturb and post it to my door. Not sure how that would fly though. That being said, I'm really looking forward to going home and recovering there with less interruptions :-) Of course I have teenagers so there will be a few.
I leave you today with a word from the book of James 1:2-8 out of the Message (The Bible in contemporary language) "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get His help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers: are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you will get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open."
I see my Leukemia as a gift, and look forward to what more God has to teach me about Himself and who I am in Christ. I encourage you to see your trial or suffering from a new perspective, from God's who is all knowing, all loving. Jeremiah 29:11 says " For I know the plans I have for you, "says the Lord. " They are plans for your good and not for disaster, to give you a hope and a future." (NLT) Pray believing God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do.
Love you all!!
~Edie
Hope your all doing well! I was admitted back to Penn late Thursday night, we started Chemo Friday. This round of Chemo is 2x a day at a higher dose than before, but only every other day for 3 days. Sunday will be my second set and Tuesday will be my last. They say that if I don't have a fever or any other complications, I can go home after my last treatment on Tuesday night and get to sleep in my own bed. Yippe!!
I feel pretty good. So far no complications, just utter boredom. My counts aren't low yet so I've been able to leave the floor and walk out the hospital over to Pot Belly's, a little deli across the street. That's the excitement of my day. lol. Nap's are next to impossible. I tried to take a 2 hour nap today. Tried being the key word. Every 10-15 minutes someone would come in to check my vitals, or clean the room, etc.... I was ready to make a sign; Do Not Disturb and post it to my door. Not sure how that would fly though. That being said, I'm really looking forward to going home and recovering there with less interruptions :-) Of course I have teenagers so there will be a few.
I leave you today with a word from the book of James 1:2-8 out of the Message (The Bible in contemporary language) "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get His help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers: are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you will get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open."
I see my Leukemia as a gift, and look forward to what more God has to teach me about Himself and who I am in Christ. I encourage you to see your trial or suffering from a new perspective, from God's who is all knowing, all loving. Jeremiah 29:11 says " For I know the plans I have for you, "says the Lord. " They are plans for your good and not for disaster, to give you a hope and a future." (NLT) Pray believing God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do.
Love you all!!
~Edie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
