July 2, 2010

Today I had lots of tests and more chemo, we arrived at the hospital at 9:00a.m. for the fun to begin. First in Clinic they draw your blood from all three lines of my port and make sure that they are working like they should, change all the tubing and pack them for the next time. Packing them requires them to put in high doses of Heparin, which is a blood clot medicine. Next it was off to Radiology for the Lumbar Poke. Sometimes at the hospital they have student nurses and it always seems I am the lucky on to get the student nurse, so I have a student nurse with me and he observes the lumbar poke, where they go into the spinal column and remove fluid and feel it with high chemo. We need to make sure that the cancer cells stay out of there!. The guys and gals in Radiology are great and I could ask for a better set of hands to do the procedure.
Next you have to lye flat on your back so as to not get a spinal headache, I have experienced on of those and don't ever want another one.
When I got back to my room, the bone marrow biopsy was next and they had invited 4 more student nurses to observe this procedure, nothing like being on display the whole day, figured they were going to give me some good drugs that I wouldn't care who was in the room anyway.
The bone marrow biopsy was long, but they were able to get everything this time that they needed for the study and I am thankful for that.
Now we are just enjoying the 4th of July holiday the best we know how and will be going back into the hospital on the 5th of July for 3-4 days of intense chemo starting the consolidation A arm. Thank you again for all your prayers and fasting in my behave, I have felt the peace and calmness from my heavenly father. Prayer is a powerful tool and lets not every forget to use it!
The church is true. I have a testimony of the power of prayer and priesthood blessings. I don't think that I could make it through this without those things in my life. I am keeping my chin up and going one day at a time. I love you all