Prayer and Patience

Yesterday Daniel started on two chemo drugs, Cisplatin and HNAVFUP (pronounced "5FU"). The first is a short IV drip taking around an hour, while the 5FU is a continuous infusion using a “baby bottle” device that feeds into his PICC line for four days. Prior to starting on the chemo, his blood work came back very satisfactory (as I wanted to make sure they explained the thoroughness of the blood work as my research told me sometimes some things are missed). The chemo nurse, Dave, was very helpful and informative, and I was/am confident that Daniel is in good hands.

 

Some of the effects of the chemo so far have been a lot of drowsiness and general “out of it”-ness because of the strong anti-nausea and pain meds, etc. that he’s on to minimize side effects, plus the drugs themselves. No signs of allergic reaction, so that’s good! One of the hardest parts both yesterday and today is getting the IV done and redone, unfortunately with three pricks each time to find a good vein! And for Daniel, who has an aversion to needles to begin with, this has not only been stressful but also very painful. Please pray that his current IV stays “active” so they don’t have to redo it tomorrow, and that any further pricking would be minimized and efficient/effective the first time!

 

Please continue to pray that sleep would be restful and uninterrupted. Last night was a “weird” sleep being so medicated, plus there were some major interruptions. Daniel’s plan is to listen to his body and sleep when he needs to, as much as he wants to keep getting exercise (which he still did today, outside in the sun no less!).

 

Please also pray that his loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss (7 lbs in the last day and a half!) would ease and that Daniel would be able to eat more. He is very thankful that prior to chemo, he had gained 12.5 lbs since coming to the hospital and that he had reached the 170 lb mark. He’s down to 163 lbs now.

 

Some updates on previous prayer requests:

- I talked to the oncologist, Dr. Uhlman, yesterday regarding the overseeing doctor whom I had a problem with for ordering anti-depressants. She had talked with Daniel yesterday morning (before I got there) after being off for the weekend. She asked him if he took them, and he said no, he didn’t want or need them. She said, “Good!” and that it would have reacted with his chemo! She then complained about having too many cooks in the soup. Wow! Thank God for that “anonymous” staff person who alerted us to this before Daniel was given them!

 

When I asked Dr. Uhlman about this other doctor’s orders (and she gave an exasperated sigh), I asked how big a role he’ll be playing for the rest of Daniel’s stay. She said that now that Daniel is on chemo, she’ll be the attending physician and that this other doctor will have little to no role in his care. Good! I was prepared to write a letter to the hospital administration to get him removed from Daniel’s case! I’m so glad I don’t have to spend my limited energy on that fight.

 

-  Daniel has a new roommate as of this afternoon – no word yet on how that is going. Please keep praying for Amy, however, his former roommate. She and her family need the Lord.

 

I just talked to Daniel on the phone for a more lengthy conversation – I talked while he texted me back. Dr. Uhlman had to decrease his pain meds this morning as he was too “dopey” so his pain is going up again. His ability to talk has decreased even more because of that. Please pray that the meds and supplements he’s on will vastly improve his pain levels and that the chemo would not harm him (as it could be causing some of the extra mouth pain he’s in). Please continue to pray that he will be healed in God’s timing!

 

Speaking of which, God has been teaching me a most profound lesson in patience these past few weeks (on top of the months this journey has already been). Early on after hearing Daniel’s diagnosis and at the beginning of his hospital stay, my emotions were running very high, trying to process what was happening. I remember a few Sundays ago waking up before dawn to cry out to God on my husband’s behalf to heal him even then! Did God say no because He doesn’t care? No! Even though I wanted (and want) Daniel healed immediately to spare him more pain, God has been teaching me the beauty of His timing.

 

If God had healed Daniel that very moment when I was crying out to Him, then there are so many blessings, lessons, and convictions in myself and others that would never have happened. Thank you for letting me know how the Holy Spirit is encouraging and convicting you in this time – how God is changing you personally during this trial. God has used that to teach me more how to truly trust in His timing and His purposes. Daniel’s healing is not the greatest good in this situation – God being given ALL the glory is! Yes, we should be bold and straightforward, bringing our petitions to God – sometimes in anguish. But we should always remember to be humble, acknowledging that God’s ways are SO much higher than our ways. Daniel and I trust God in increasingly deeper ways as we “…wait for and hope for and expect the LORD.” (Ps. 27:14 AMP).