Yes, it was another Thursday and another hospital admission. However, I still stand by my previous blog because I was not admitted the Thursday before that. After writing the previous blog, even before posting it, I realized the atrial fibrillation was again increasing. We left for D.C. early Wednesday morning and as the day progressed the AFIB, shortness of breath, swelling, and tendency to pass out increased. I called the cardiologist office on Thursday and we talked back and forth. We realized that by the time I got home they would be closed, so we decided if things got bad enough I would have to go to an ER in D.C. Things did not get better, but they also did not get worse. The conference itself was phenomenal and I was able to sit in conference sessions because I only needed to take the elevator down to them. I decided it was much better to sit there with my feet up than upstairs in my room.
We returned on Saturday and I was able to be in worship and Bible Study on Sunday. I saw the oncologist on Monday and needed another injection. If they had not arranged for me to have, and encouraged me to use, four injections while I was gone, I would have been seriously immune compromised by my return. As for the AFIB, I thought I might be a little better so decided to wait. On Thursday, the oncologist’s office encouraged me to call the cardiologist so I did. I knew prolonged AFIB could lead to heart damage or a stroke.
By the time the decision was made to hospitalize me, it was 5:00 pm so I needed to enter through Shand’s ER. As you know that can be a stressful and lengthy process. As He often seems to do, God placed individuals from our church family in my path. There was a doctor from our church who was working in the ER and helped speed things up and also saw to it that I got the needed private room. When I reached my room, the PCA was from my Bible study class and the next morning the charge nurse was a long time member and friend from our church. On Friday evening when they moved me from the oncology floor I was put on initially, down to the cardiology floor, the charge nurse was again a long time church member and friend. I do not believe these things happen by chance. I know they are an answer to the many prayers lifted up for me.
On Thursday night they connected me to a heart monitor and on Friday they ran a lot of tests. The heart showed up as strong, but AFIB was a daily occurrence in May and sometimes lasted over half a day. The constant, and sometimes lengthy AFIB, was extremely tiring. By the end of the day a decision was made to change the AFIB medications to a drug that required a three day hospital stay to monitor the heart’s response and to determine the effective dose. An additional concern in using this drug in my case is that it lowers blood pressure. I already take a medication three times a day to raise my blood pressure. The drug was administered Saturday morning and then stopped because of a negative EKG. They did some other things, retested, and then restarted the drug at a lower dose on Sunday morning. That dose was too low so the dose was raised Sunday evening. An EKG several hours after each dose indicated a continued tolerance of the drug. Additional tests were run on Tuesday morning and I was released just after noon. The biggest side effects I am currently experiencing from the drug are low energy and shortness of breath. Hopefully, these side effects will resolve with time.
By the way, the fingernails are continuing to come off, but the hair is growing little by little and it’s time to ditch the wig. The hair may be really short but there are too many fun water activities I want to do with grandchildren and the wig is a problem. As for the black eyes and bruises from low platelets I am trying to be more careful and wear a heavier make-up when necessary. I made the make-up decision after our 23 month old grandson was over one day and did not want to come to his DiGi (that’s the name our grandchildren call me—maybe I’ll share the story some day) because of my black eyes and other facial bruises.
One of the hardest things for me in this latest hospital stay was the fact that I could not be in worship on Sunday. I am thankful that our church has live streaming and the hospital wireless system was strong enough at that time for me to catch the morning service and the children’s musical that evening. This is great for people in the hospital or those shut in their homes due to illness. Yet, there is no substitute for being in the service. I agree with the writer of Hebrews, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (10:24-25). I receive so much encouragement by being in worship. There is no substitute for being in corporate worship, in Bible study, and among God’s people in general. I honestly do not know how people deal with life, and especially life in difficult times, without the “meeting together” God instituted. As you study His Word in both Old and New Testaments, this is obviously a reference to corporate worship. I love the illustration Bob Gass gave in his devotional, “God’s Word for You Today,” about geese flying in formation. I have heard it before but some points he made that touched me again were: flying in formation increases their flight range 71%; air waves as a bird flaps its wings provide an uplift for the next bird in formation, this uplift supports the bird and decreases its work load and conserves its energy; a goose out of formation gets heavy wings, becomes exhausted, loses altitude, and must return to the formation to survive. This is one of the reasons I believe Jesus said, “Look at the birds” (Matthew 6:26). We need each other for strength, as well as encouragement. I also hope my presence in worship and Bible study is an encouragement to someone else. In my current condition there are things I cannot do, but being in Bible study and worship is something I can do—and need to do.
Having been off the chemotherapy drugs since the hospital visit May 14th, the decision was made to restart them again Tuesday when I got home from the hospital. The lab work sent to Arkansas last week showed continued stability for which I am extremely grateful. There is still no reduction in disease level so we are all concerned that I continue the drugs when possible in order to keep the level suppressed.
I am thankful for the great medical care I am receiving, the ministry opportunities provided even in the hospital stays, the continued ability to be with family and church family, and a quality of life beyond what I could have imagined with the aggressiveness of the disease and the prolonged treatment. God is so good!
