Sunday, September 7, 2008

RESULTS and Monthly IVIG Tomorrow

The MRI was clear!! And, we heard from Dr. Pranzetelli's nurse that Annabelle's spinal fluid looked good! They did say however, that the b-cells in her blood are repopulating at a faster rate than they expected. If you remember, the chemo agent she had in March killed off her b-cells and they should start to come back in her blood (NOT in her spinal fluid) slowly between six and twelve months. So, she is okay (they said not to worry), but they will watch this rate of return over the next six months. They said it may just be the way her body responds. We will continue to pray that the b-cells come back healthy. They also said that they want to slow her steroid taper a tiny bit, and that she should continue to be careful not to be around anyone who is sick. So, we will continue on the same careful course we have taken this far. Which means limiting our contact with germs. This is difficult especially heading into cold and flu season (and the long, cold, dark winter nights... trying not to dispare here:-). The summer has been nice, because we have been outside a lot bike riding, and doing other fun outdoor activies.

We know very well that we cannot stop all illness, and we haven't. But we feel responsible to try to limit the possibility. If any of our kids get sick, then the sick one has to be kept away from Annabelle and the others to prevent spreading the illness. If we think about it very much, it can seem overwhelming. But when we look back over the last six months and see God's faithfulness in the smallest details, we are confident He will continue to help us through the rest of the treatment. Dr. P again stated that the longer Annabelle goes without getting sick, the better the chance for her immune system to heal properly. Please pray for us in our goal to do our best for Annabelle, and that we will REST in God's sovereign plan - no matter what it may allow. It is easy sometimes to fall into the fallacy that her health depends solely on how well we do our part. I love the quote, "Providence is a soft pillow." I pray that we will chose to lay our heads on it each night.

Three more thoughts:

1. Peter is taking Annabelle to her infusion tomorrow. Please pray that all goes smoothly, and as always, that they are protected from germs at the hospital.

2. Annabelle has been such a little trooper through these last two weeks. She is such a sweet joy in our lives, and we are so grateful for her!

3. Thank you all for your prayers and interest in our family. It is humbling to know that so many care and continue to pray.

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