Amazed at the Glory of You

As a family, we continue to testify about God`s goodness and faithfulness as Fiona grows in strength and health. We are especially thankful for a smooth Chemo session last thursday. Fiona`s blood test results, while not as good as the last time (no doubt due to the flu she was fighting), were good enough for her to proceed. She experienced some pain during the 3-hour Chemo infusion, but everything else went fine.

Before the infusion started, the nurses questioned Fiona about her post-Chemo side effects, and were thoroughly confused and amazed at the lack of anything significant. "What? No fever? No nausea? Sure or not??" We can only lift our hands and hearts again heavenward and give thanks.

"And I stand here, before you

In wide-opened wonder,

Amazed at the Glory of You."

Looking ahead, the doctors have scheduled a CT scan for December 4 to visually check the progress of the Chemo.

Please pray:

• for quick healing from the flu that still lingers
• against any side effects from now until the next session
• for increase in strength and health for continued complete healing, and for the scan on the 4th to show no signs of the cancer.

God bless you, and thank you for your prayers!

Coming to 3

Thank you all for your prayers! Fiona continues to be generally well in between Chemo sessions. We praise God for his mercies, they are indeed new every morning!
The next chemo session (#3 of 6) will take place tomorrow. Later this morning, we will be taking the usual pre-Chemo trip to the hospital for a blood test which will determine Fiona`s fitness to proceed with tomorrow`s session.

As previously reported, the pain in the back has largely receded, unless brought on by "excessive exuberance" :-). The cramps in the legs still occur occasionally, but less than before.
Above all of this, Fiona`s strength is gradually but surely returning. She is much more mobile now, and even does a few half-days at work each week (as much to keep busy than anything else). Through this, we know that God continues to do His healing work in her and we Give Thanks.

However, there is a cause for some concern with the recent development of flu symptoms. If carried over to after the Chemo session when Fiona`s immunity is low, the bug could cause problems. Please pray for very quick healing.

Pray too for the blood test later today, that it will show that Fiona is ready for tomorrow. By the grace of God, her last blood test results were very good, and we pray for the same results today. For those keeping a close watch, I will post an update tomorrow after the Chemo session. God bless!

A Vast Improvement

"Vast Improvement" and "Great Difference" were the wonderful words we heard from Prof. Liam, the chest specialist, when we visited him last friday. He uttered these words while he compared the x-rays taken 4 weeks ago and the one taken on the day of the visit.

According to Prof Liam, the fluid level in the right lung, while not entirely gone, is now minimal, even after a period of 4 weeks after the last lung tap. In comparison, the fluid had previously accumulated to as much as 1.45 litres only after 10 days between the first and second lung taps. Breathing is also sounding completely normal, evidenced by the trouble-free sleep that Fiona now enjoys every night.

Prof Liam attributed this to the Chemo, but the Oncologist, Dr. Masthura, said that the Chemo only works after 3 to 4 cycles. Again, medical science cannot explain what has happened.
Looking through the eyes of faith, we can only say that our God continues to work miracles in response to all your prayers. Thank you.

The pain in the back and legs which had previously disappeared is back, albeit sporadically. We suspect that the Chemo has something to do with it, but am thankful that it has gone down in intensity and frequency.

Visibly, for those whom we have not seen in a while, Fiona looks so much better.

Please continue to pray, dear friends, brothers and sisters. Please pray for the Chemo to work with no side-effects, for the pain to disappear. In particular, pray for the lungs and bones to be completely healed, and the complete eradication of the cancer. We place our faith in God that the next x-ray in 2 months will show a complete healing in the lungs and bones. We give thanks and praise.

New Mercies

"Morning by morning, New mercies I see;
All I have needed, Your hands have provided;
Great is Your faithfulness, Father to me."

For those who have been looking out for news of Chemo #2, and especially for those who have been praying hard for Fiona, please know that it went very well.

Fiona started the day, even with the Chemo ahead of her, in very good spirits. The back and leg pains which had been plaguing her constantly had mostly vanished overnight for no naturally explicable reason.

The pre-requisite consultation with the Oncologist revealed that Fiona`s blood test results were very good. Blood counts, kidney and liver function, etc, all within norms and maybe better than the average person. Amazing.

Moving on to the chemo, the drug was administered again with no problems. Fiona`s veins held up fine and there was little discomfort. After the Taxotere had gone in, the nurses followed up with the bone-strengthening drug called Zometa (required every 4 weeks).

Even more amazing: After a long day in the hospital, 3 hours of that in a chair with a needle in her vein, Fiona said "I feel great, almost euphoric".

We have no way to explain this, except to give thanks to Him who is so very faithful and so amazing. Thank you, thank you for your prayers. They are causing miracles to take place.
Sleep last night wasn`t so great as she felt quite warm, no doubt because of the two doses of potent drugs running through her, but she was not troubled by pain or breathing problems.
However, she awoke this morning to proclaim again that she felt very good and wanted to go shopping. We are, of course, restraining her to ward off the risk of infection, but you can imagine how good she must be feeling.

And so, the hymn "Great is Your Faithfulness" comes to mind again and again. Quite literally, morning by morning, new mercies we see. His faithfulness is truly amazing! All praise, glory, and honour unto Him!