Uncommon Treatment for the Common Cold

I'm writing this from the oncology transfusion center at the hospital, getting my first blood transfusion. This will be a short post as the Benedryl they gave me to counteract something about the transfusion, makes me sleepy.

I'm here because my red cells were way down yesterday when I went for my normal 1-week-after-chemo blood test. Red cells transport oxygen to the body and are important for energy and healthy functioning of the body. The blood I'm getting was processed to make it high in red cells. It definately looks like blood -- dark red and opaque. Thank you to whoever donated it.

Last week (a chemo week) was typical -- very tired the days after but feeling much better by the weekend. This time though I started to feel a chest cold coming on and by Monday morning my stomach muscles were sore from coughing. My white counts, as usual, were also down, but this time at their lowest so far -- 300, and my blood pressure was also low. So instead of just getting a blood draw, they kept me at the chemo center for a couple hours of hydration (2 liters of saline delivered through my port)...and the scheduling of this blood transfuion...and orders to take extra precausions against infection.

This meant that I didn't get to go to hear fellow Rez member, Dana Dunlap speak at the monthly ladies brunch about her journey with breast cancer. I was really bummed because I was going to get to hear her powerful story, and hang out with my breast cancer buddies, Sarah and Lynda. Fortunatley before all this came down yesterday, I had lunch with them, our every other week B & B session (boobs and books). As always we laughed and laughed as we reviewed the ground we passed during the two weeks since our last lunch. What a gift to have these two new friends in my life!

Also blessed to have Dennis and Hannah and Hugh in my life. They are now doing the Tuesday after school schedule themselves -- 4:00 orthodonist appointment, 4:45 soccer practice, 5:30 guitar lesson, 6:30 soccer practice over...then home. I should be done around 8:30 tonight so will see here when they come to get me. In the meantime, I will post this and lay back to sleep and rest.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,

so that Christ's power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake,

I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10