Over the past several weeks we have been on a rollercoaster ride having good days and bad days just like everyone else. Right now we have to be patient and wait for Dad’s counts to come up enough for him to be able to have his bone marrow biopsy to see if he is in remission and for him to be able to go home.
Currently his white blood cells are at 400-up from the 200-300 range they have been the past two weeks. They need to be close to 2,000 for him to be able to have the biopsy and be able to go home (normal is 4,500-11,000).
His hemoglobin and platelets are still running low and he received a blood transfusion yesterday and will get a platelet transfusion tomorrow. His hemoglobin needs to stay above 8 (his normally is around 14) and his platelets need to begin increasing. These are all indicators that his bone marrow is regrowing and producing blood cells.
Some side effects of the chemo that Dad is experiencing include hair loss-his hair has been falling out in large clumps causing his scalp to be very sore-a painful scalp is common with leukemia. His barber came over this morning and shaved his head for him. He has been running a fever around 100-102 for the last week as well as both of his ears are very sore, he has painful blisters in the back of his throat, and has broken out with shingles on his neck all from the chemo. The doctor tells us he will be on antibiotics as long as he has a fever and with his counts being so low the only thing we can do is wait for his counts to get high enough to relieve these symptoms-it is not an infection setting in. Dad has a hard time staying asleep and a hard time staying awake and feels like he is in limbo. He also has a hard time gathering his thoughts and getting restful sleep as he now talks in his sleep a lot-from the medications and has to wear a c-pap machine at night for his sleep apnea. He has a hard time falling asleep from constant drainage in the back of his throat making it difficult to breathe-he feels as if he is choking. He is very weak and unstable in walking around.
Dad feels much worse than he ever did the previous times in with his leukemia. He has mentioned that his faith has been strengthened and he has spent more time with God. We read him his devotions daily-sometimes more than one at his request. He has told us when he was first diagnosed he was very fearful at the thought of death. This time he has had an overwhelming sense of peace and calmness that he can’t explain. He has heard people talk about it and still thinks it is strange but knows it is from God. He has mentioned wanting to join a Sunday School class and get more involved in church once he gets better.
We are resting in the fact that God is not through with him yet, is the great physician, and is still in the habit of performing miracles. We need a miracle for Dad to be in remission, survive the bone marrow transplant, and be completely healed. That is exactly what we are asking of God and expecting of God.
We thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support during this time.
