two steps..one step..

Greetings..

Had a pretty good weekend...back pain still a 'pain'..but some relief is being seen and felt.

Mobility better..which translates to emotional and psychological improvement.  Today a little stiff, but again, the hyper-extreme pain appears to have subsided.  Yet, it does take some work to sleep, get in the right position etc.....but hey..ya do what ya gotta do..

On the great news front:  Becky's platelet were 193K!  Now that's what I'm talking about!  This in the normal range!  We got this news last Thursday, but Becky was in so much back pain, she couldn't jump up and do a cartwheel, or at least thrust a fist in the air..Nonetheless, we did rejoice at this news..Haven't seen this level in about two years!  let's keep goin!  Becky does still get very tired, fatigued, but we know in time and with the reduction of certain meds, her energy and physicality will improve..We still measure success one hour at a time.

Thank you as always for your prayers.  WE know many of you have your own valleys to navigate.  We encourage you to stay the course, while going slowly, plodding through the caverns of this life.  There can be wonderful indescribable moments of "light".. There is hope in the Lord..WE have seen the body of Christ reach out to us..and it has been medicinal.  We have seen and felt the kindness of neighbors, friends...this illness has caused the door to be opened to others that otherwise may not have found our porch.

Not to say, there hasn't been quite a few moments of raw, unedited frustration..Exhaustion, fear, anxiety...overwhelming emotion..I could go on..

But we press on, we just do what we can and we give thanks in all things..ALL things

Have a great day or evening..Yes, please do celebrate life..

Much Love,

Bill, Becky and Abbey

More good news..

Briefly, just got a call from Physician's Assistant..

SAID NO infection/fungus had NOT moved to the spine...The fluid was CLEAR!

Yes, Praise God..So, the Brain and the Spine are clear of any infection..

Becky's sinus infection getting better, but coughing still fairly constant..but is subsiding..

And believe it or not, that back muscle pain she had before, still haunts her..It causes

 'dagger-like' pain in her midback area..WE pray it will work it's way out..She will see her trusted Chiropractor in a few days..

But again, we do give thanks for the good news..and we hope and pray the Platelets, the White count and Hemoglobin are as good as last week, or even better, when we go for her check-up this week...

Enjoy your day..or night.  Take a nice deep breath and just give thanks...

Much, much Love,

Bill, Becky & Abbey

Good news day....

Dear Friends,

Just got back from hospital...some good, actually great news..the infection had NOT moved or spread to the brain.. We will know in a few days if any went to the spinal cord...the procedure for testing this went very well..though Becky is exhausted.

Her levels were very good! ..Platelets, white count, hemoglobin..etc..This is ALWAYS good!

Thanks for the prayers..we WILL overcome! We will...we rejoice at the mostly positive news today!

Much much Love, Indeed celebrate life...We thank the Lord for many blessings we have..

Bill, Becky & Abbey

Recent news...Prayer..

Becky wrote the following:


Hello My Friends!

I would appreciate your specific prayers for me and Bill tomorrow. Mr doctor just called to inform me that the results of my lung biopsy yesterday shows I have another new type of infection in my lung, but it's an aggressive type that can spread to the brain and spine. It's all from my low immune system. Therefore, I need to go back to City of Hope tomorrow (Wednesday) 8:30 - 3 or 4 p.m. for a CT scan of my brain, have lab tests and then have a lumbar/spinal tap.....through my tears I know that God knows all about this, but it's difficult too.
Pray please for my endurance and strength and Bill's stress level. Good news is, we can stop the nightly IV and the additional very strong medicine we were recently taking for the 'other' infectious nodules/spots. We now have, yet another new medicine that requires only twice a day intake...

Thank you so much for your faithfulness in praying for all 3 of us....God bless each of you.

Love,

Becky


We add:
Thank you all for praying..We know this is just another bump that can be overcome. We reveal our transparency, in that, we are frustrated, yet still determined. Upset, yet still knowing our care is in the best hands possible. And YES! We know The Lord can and will see us through this.



Love,
Bill, Becky and Abbey

Dear Lord,

Comfort Becky as she endures this barrage of tests..give her the peace and strength she needs to cope with the latest news.
_____________________________________

Onward forward..

Hope all is well with you and yours..

Abbey was sick last weekend and out of school Mon & Tues.  Doing better, but still a little weak..Had fever and sore throat..we have been so blessed at her not having any sickness for quite some time..

Rescheduled Becky's lung biopsy til next Monday the 15th..again, please pray the procedure goes well...morever, the new spots will dissipate..or at least show signs of cavitizing  - 'hollowing out' so to speak.. The new med is designated to destruct these lung spots.  

We 'visit' City Of Hope tomorrow for her regular check-up...

Again, we hope and pray all is well with you..

Stay positive and prayerful..

Celebrate life..

Bill, Becky and Abbey

Remaining positive...

To the point...got a call that the CTscan done a week or so ago, revealed a new infectious spot on the lungs..actually these 'spots' or aspergillus (a fungus) as they are called, are inside the lungs.. With Becky's immune system being so low, they surface. Believe it or not, we ALL have some sort of fungus in us! When our immune systems are in full 'fighting' mode, the fungus strains don't have achance.. Yet, Becky is susceptible to these infectious 'soldiers', who love to play when the muscle man immune system is away. She was introduced to another medication that is quite powerful. We take this in conjunction with the IV administered nightly. These TWO heavy hitting meds ought to smother, weaken or rid the fungus. During our visit to City Of Hope yesterday, Dr. Snyder showed us the xray of the lungs..you can seen this new fungus or 'spot' at the base of the right lung. The other fungus being treated looks like a ring..it is hollow or cavetized, which is good, that means there is less substance inside the ring of aspergillus.. A biopsy is scheduled for this Monday..gotta go in there and confirm this is a fungus related to the 'original' one, or if this a totally different 'strain'..Meantime, Becky will take this very strong med to keep it staying in it's corner. Becky also had to have red blood yesterday..hemoglobin low. Her platelets dropped a bit..but nothing at all to be concerned with..White count also dropped a bit but still OK..holding steady. S0 a little disappointed in this latest news? Yes. But still holdin' on to the good? You bet.. We still give thanks, that she is able to roam about the house with some relative ease.. Cook herself a meal or two..this is great! She folds the laundry after it is done. Appetite is consistent, though some days not as hearty as others.. And she even went out to a grocery store for the first time in 5 months! The Dr. thought it would be OK, even with the low immunity. She loved it. She had to go in the wheelchair and she made the comment, "how things looked so differently in the store at that lower level". But, she was glad to get out and grab some paper towels off the shelf, some eggs, bread and to put them in the basket..she enjoyed helping Abbey shop for shampoo and more. We had a nice time doing this together.
So, please pray that her biopsy will be uneventful, that she will not need more red blood or platelets before the procedure. That the physicians overseeing this new development will recognize just exactly what type of fungus or fungi it is, And pray this new 'spot' will succumb to the new treatment. Which will mostly likely take up to 21 days of this powerful med. We will, of course know more after the biopsy.
She is, for the most part in a positive frame of mind. She engineers her small pharmacy with such precision and great methodology. Her 'get through this' attitude is indeed inspiring. Though, let's be real, there have been, and still continue to be 'valley' moments, some last longer than others..some valley moments and days are overwhelming, but she perseveres. We all persevere. We cry, we laugh, we sit 'still and know', we wonder what's next, and of course we pray. We do hope and pray all is well with you..who are reading this..

Lastly, "Come to me ALL who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28..

We encourage you to accept the rest HE offers.

Much Love, Celebrate Life..

Bill, Becky and Abbey..