When I talked to you last, my doctor had just taken me off some of my chemo meds and delayed my bone marrow biopsy until my numbers improved. That also meant my next round of IV chemo was delayed a week.
Last Monday, February 7, I thought we’d get started again; however, my numbers were still low. Dr Hines felt we should proceed with the bone marrow biopsy to determine where we are. We did the biopsy, and the results came in a few days later. The results are even better than I might have imagined. If I understand what I’m reading there were zero leukemia cells and zero blasts. We are definitely on the right track. We’ll discuss the results in the morning.
BLAST (definition): Blasts, also called myeloblasts, are immature blood cells that do not function properly. These young blood cells are produced by stem cells. Too many blast cells interfere with the production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
While waiting on the results, we decided to delay treatment one more week to give me some recovery time and that also gave us time for some maintenance.
On Friday, February 11, they removed my PICC line and inserted a port-a-cath. Insertion is an invasive procedure, it’s not major surgery, but it’s far from a picnic. The whole thing sits below the skin. You can click here to see what the device looks like: port-a-cath
I’m thankful for the PICC line. It saved me from an untold number of needle insertions during my hospital stay and subsequent outpatient treatments. But it did come with daily maintenance, which Iris has become very good at, and it had to be wrapped up watertight before I could shower. That was another task that fell to Iris.
An Important Week
Given that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, this is probably a good time to mention how thankful I am that Iris has been with me each step of the way. She has been the most consistent force in my life, second only to God, for a lot of years. In fact, our 49th anniversary is coming up on, Thursday, February 17. Happy Anniversary to the love of my life, without whom life would be terribly lonely and ordinary.
And So, We Continue
I’m not really sure which is harder, sticking with a set regimen day in and day out, or having your regimen so interrupted that you aren’t sure if you’re on track on just wandering around. That’s kind of where I find myself right now. Which reminds me of a scripture.
Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
My personal translation of this is “Don’t get tired of doing things that work.” In this case, for me, it means follow the doctor’s advice. She’s been doing this a lot longer than I have.
I have struggled with how to pray in this situation. I prayed for the leukemia cells to leave. They’re gone. The blasts are gone. I’ve prayed for the mutated genes that caused this mess to leave. I can’t tell where I am in that process. I believe they’re gone. You folks have been with me every step of the way. Thank you! It finally dawned on me that what I should be praying for now is new bone marrow that will produce healthy cells. That’s exactly the plan when I go for a stem cell transplant. They will insert new bone marrow that can support healthy blood production. I prefer that be done by God before I get there. To God be the glory!
A Reminder
Like everyone else, I sometimes need a reminder of where I am. And in my waiting a devotional from Staci Eldredge came in. It’s an excerpt from her book, “Defiant Joy”:
“The only way we can wait is if we are holding fast to the hope that we will not be waiting forever. “
“Waiting requires trusting. We will be able to wait with expectancy only if we believe that a great good is coming. It’s an exercise of faith. It’s an opportunity for our desires not to be quelled but to rise, for our hope to become heavier, more substantial, anchored more solidly in the belief that a goodness beyond our wildest dreams will come to us when our Jesus arrives in glory. And He is coming. We are promised His ultimate return, when He will put every enemy under His feet.
“And even now Jesus is coming. He is present in the waiting. We do not wait alone. We do not wait in vain.”
Keep The Faith
Knowing that I’m not waiting by myself, I keep repeating the last bit of Galatians 6:9 I quoted above, “we will reap, if we do not give up”. Given that promise, if we give up, we fail. There’s no one else to blame it on. It’s on us. I choose to not give up.
Waiting requires trusting. I trust Jesus has completed the work He started in me.
In His Love,
Wayne
