Back to Normal

Matt is home. I think that says it all. :-) He was moved from the ICU to a regular room on Wednesday, and then Thursday was released to go home. Jamie picked him up and took him home as I was at work. 

Arriving home after work, it was SO good to see Matt sitting in the chair upright, and yes, not in a hospital gown! His laptop was on his lap and he was working on a sermon for Sunday. Life looked so normal again. Thank you for praying.

Texting...

His blood counts were obviously dropping, but Matt wasn't ready to admit it. He wanted to preach on Easter Sunday. Still, the symptoms were hard to hide. As he lay exhausted on the couch we discussed what I saw as reality versus his desire. I told him outright that I wasn't sure if I should be listening to him or not, but that if his blood pressure didn't drop any further, I would try to honor his wish.

With our conversation over, I stood up and headed to the kitchen, texting as I went. 

"Who are you texting?" Matt asked in a strangely concerned and accusatory manner. 

"Chuck," I replied with a straight face, sure that I knew what he was thinking.


The response on his face confirmed my suspicions causing me to burst into laughter before correcting my statement.


"I wasn't texting Chuck. I was texting Jamie."


Chuck is our EMT friend and you could just see Matt's brain whirring, figuring I was texting for backup!

Mocha, the Competition

Matt has developed a dislike of having his blood checked, having an unfortunately realistic fear that he'll end up in the hospital for more days than he cares for. We were at the stage of his trying to convince me to hold off on calling the doctor, knowing the doctor would most likely send him to the ER.

On this particular day we were relaxing on the couch. Mocha, my Jack Russell Terrier, was stretched out between us and Matt was giving her lots of attention. I leaned in on Matt. 

"How come Mocha's getting all the attention and not me?" I asked with a mischievous smile.

"Mocha's not trying to send me to the hospital," came Matt's quick teasing response.

"Mocha's not trying to save your life!" I responded just as quickly.   

I was rewarded with attention. 

Home Tomorrow?

Another long day. I spent the first half at work and the second half at the hospital. The endoscopy went fine. No current bleeding was revealed. Matt's blood counts are creeping up. They're hoping one more unit of blood, for a total of 6 units, will bring it to the 'at least acceptable' range. If it gets there and stays there, Matt could come home tomorrow (Wednesday)! That would be SO nice! :-)

An Easter to Remember

This was an Easter to remember. My folks visited Thursday through Saturday, joining us for the Good Friday service at our church. As always, we had a great time with them. By the time they left on Saturday, Matt had admitted to experiencing the signs of a low blood count ... but the preacher in him wanted to get through Sunday first, to be able to preach for the Easter service! I told him I wasn't sure if I really should be listening to him, but if his blood pressure didn't drop too low, I would try to honor his wish.

My check list for Saturday was contradictory at the least: Laundry. Check. Change sheets on the guest bed for missionary guests (Saturday night - Monday morning). Check. Out for coffee with my daughter-in-law. Check. Preparations for Easter brunch at church. Check. Preparations for Easter dinner at our house for sixteen people. Check. Add clothes to the always partially ready "emergency" suitcase. Check. 

What? Yes, you got that right. Preparing for a crowd while preparing to take off at a moment's notice. Contradictory? Yes. Abnormal? Probably not, at least not for us. It's our life right now. You make plans and continue on with life, ready at a moment's notice for it all to change.

By Monday he was in the ER with the lowest blood count I've seen him with yet. He shouldn't have been standing the day before. The prayers of the saints had to have been holding Matt upright and able to preach on Sunday.

After eight hours at work following his progress through the ER by phone, and then four hours at the hospital, I was exhausted by the time I arrived home last night and ready for a good night's sleep. Matt was settled in the ICU when I left, receiving a life-giving blood transfusion. He was stable and in good hands. 

What will today bring? I'm not sure. I do know God gave me a refreshing night's sleep, though I don't even know yet if I'm headed to work first or the hospital. God knows and that's enough for me. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Round Two of Chemo

We entered the next round of chemotherapy a little gun-shy. Would it put Matt back in the hospital for another five days? Due to the fact that Matt's blood counts had started dropping before the first chemo treatment, we weren't necessarily placing the blame for the dramatic drop in his blood counts on the chemo itself. Of course, the chemo probably accentuated the problem. So we entered the next round of chemotherapy, pretty much considering it to be the test week.

Thankfully, the second round of chemo was much less dramatic than the first. After the three days of chemo, Matt wasn't suddenly experiencing low blood count symptoms. We counted that a blessing. A few more days passed and I found myself practically grinning when we could count this hurdle as clearly passed over. It did not lead up to a five day hospitalization. The side effects were minimal -- especially when you compare them to the the long list of horrendous things you need to watch for!

Two treatments down. Two to go. Then a CT Scan to determine if the chemotherapy has shrunk the tumors or held them at bay (both good outcomes!) -- or if the tumors continue to grow despite the chemo.

Thank you for your continued prayers.