The doctors called today "a day of rest." By that they mean that the harsh treatments are over and they let her body process what's in there to let it finish it's work. As of this morning, Krista's white blood count was at 0.7, which seems to be right on track. The dropping numbers indicate that the marrow has successfully been disrupted. So, tomorrow they are planning on going forward with the stem-cell injection.
The removal of the chemotherapy brought some, but far from complete, relief. Krista still has regular bouts of nausea, diarrhea, and headaches -- all of which they have been able to help to some degree (when asked). She ate and kept down a small dinner of rice, toast, and applesauce, which is a good improvement. There was some suspicion that the muscle pain the other day might have been caused by a sudden drop of sodium brought on by the chemo. They adjusted her meds accordingly, and she seemed to improve earlier in the day (though there was a short return of the muscle pain in the evening).
In the midst of the suffering today, Krista had a moment to shed tears of joy. Alyssa and Cory Steffen had graciously taken our kids into their family yesterday (they'll be there for a while). Alyssa let us know today that the boys are doing great, and shared with us that their bedtime prayers were so precious that it brought tears to her eyes. That was so wonderful to hear how they have grown in their own faith through all this!
Another event today helped to get our minds off the immediate suffering, too. The hospital chaplain stopped by to see how we were doing and pray for us. She asked Krista what brings her hope in the midst of all this, and Krista recounted how God had led her to Psalm 41:1-2 as soon as she was diagnosed and the funny story about getting "raised up on her sickbed". It was good to remember how God provided that word of hope so early on.
Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
(Psalm 119:49-50)
Hope Notes from Krista and Mike is a journal of encouragement as this Christian mom, and supportive husband and caregiver, face the ups and downs of a stem cell transplant after recurring leukemia. Start at the beginning by clicking September 2008 in the archives and reading forward. It's not always pretty, but it's real. We pray you will be blessed by these passages in some way.
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