Day 155

Ian and Beth arrived on Sunday, what a welcome relief to have family here to support us.

One thing a bone marrow transplant does is isolate. 

It isolates you from society, home, relationships, health and even hope.

Ian has been getting Nubegen shots all week to boost his white cell count so when he gives to John it can have as many immune cells as possible. 

John has had multiple infections this week. Monday, the day he was due to be released, his blood pressure dropped, his heart rate went through the roof and his oxygen levels decreased. It was a worrying few hours. He has a new pneumonia and gall bladder inflammation. The two are unrelated and time will tell how they clear up.

Today his white cell count is up, as are his platelets; higher than they have been in weeks. His red cells are low because he is beginning to pass blood again. Our big fear is that it's the GVHD (Graft Versus Host Disease) coming back but we must resist jumping to that conclusion as there are other perfectly reasonable explanations.  For example, another infection, some inner irritation of the intestinal tract, an effect of his low platelets these past weeks or a consequence of when his blood pressure dropped. 

Please pray it's not the GVHD. It's one of our worst nightmares.Especially pray for wisdom for the doctors as if this is GVHD and they infuse more white cells then the result could be very bad as the extra cells would fuel the attack. 

Through all of this I am being reminded, mainly by Beth, to remain positive and remember what God has said.  

6 months of heartache and disappointment has worn us down...we confess we have doubted.

As I watched John have an ultrasound of his gall bladder on Monday I asked God, "What can I say to John right now? I feel so helpless and I want to say something, anything that can help"

God bought to my mind the story of Job and how in his suffering his friends told him to just "curse God and die", they were so convinced that God was allowing Job to suffer because he was sinful. But how God loved Job and had a way out for him and a greater blessing following his suffering than what he had before so I whispered in John's ear "Don't curse God and don't be tempted to give up, He does not hate you, He is not torturing you, He loves you and He will be faithful to His word"