In Anticipation

To all those who have been faithfully praying with us, many thanks and God bless you. Fiona continues to be well except for the pain, which comes and goes. Her breathing remains clear which is amazing considering the initial symptoms some weeks ago.

The next hurdle is Chemo session #2, which takes place next tuesday (October 31). Fiona will have to go in for blood tests (to check cell counts etc) on Monday and take her dose of steroids in preparation for the Chemo infusion.

Please continue to pray:

• against the pain in the back and legs, and healing and strengthening of the bones and nerves
• that the doctor will find no fluid in her lungs, and her lungs and breathing to be perfectly normal
• that her blood counts will be tested to be normal so that she can proceed with the Chemo
• for complete healing and strengthening of the vein which received the Chemo I.V. before the next Chemo session \that she will have no adverse reactions and side effects during and after the next Chemo session
• for the chemo to work perfectly, destroying all traces of the cancer
• for a complete and lasting healing in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
• for continued and increasing reliance and faith on the healing power and unfailing love of our wonderful God.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound! This morning, we want to acknowledge God`s amazing goodness, and prayers answered in a mighty way.

For the last few nights, Fiona`s sleep has been deteriorating due to a gradually worsening cough. Tuesday night was particularly difficult as she was constantly woken by coughing spasms. In her own words, "I spent hours coughing up phlegm."

Last night, we prayed earnestly for our God to show his grace and mercy, and to grant her a good night`s rest. I was amazed that even while I prayed that her breathing eased. Even more amazing, this morning, I awoke to her testimony that she slept "like a baby".

Praise God! He is amazing and so gracious! Thank you LORD, for prayer answered in a mighty way!

A Brief Update

Just a quick update for today. Coming up to 2 weeks after Chemo session #1, not much has changed. We continue to be thankful that Fiona is still not experiencing any strong side-effects. However, the pain in the back and cramps in the legs are still there. The pain effectively limits her movement and so she is mostly housebound. Her coughing has also worsened, caused by an increase in phlegm, and this affects her sleep at night. Please do pray for a relief from the pain and the coughing.

Tick Tock

Time flies. It`s been 4 days since our last post. Fiona`s breathing is normal, except for a little coughing. She is resting well at night. Still no sign of the normal side effects from last week`s Chemo.

However, the pain in her back and legs still seem pretty intense. She has difficulty standing and sitting, and even walking short distances can take 10 to 15 minutes. Sometimes, the pain flares up when she sits or lies in certain positions. The pain also seems to move about a bit, which is strange. The painkillers don`t do much good other than to dull the pain a bit. Please do pray for pain relief.

The next Chemo session is in 3 weeks` time. In the interim, do pray for what has been administered to work.

Having to rest at home all the time is also getting quite tedious, so simple things like an evening drive are good to break the monotony. Other suggestions for non-physical excitement would be appreciated. :-)

Something at Work

Just back from the doctor`s. Firstly, the pathologists failed to find any cancer cells in the fluid taken from Fiona`s lung (from the peural effusion).

Secondly. a saline wash was also done during the Bronchioscopy, focusing on the middle and lower lobes in the right lung, which are said to have consolidation, based on the last CT scan. The test results from the analysis of the saline wash shows cells which are "suspicious", which the doctor is interpreting to mean likely cancerous. No matter, the chemo will address that.

What is truly significant is that the doctor said that there is no way that yesterday`s chemo session could have caused Fiona`s lungs to clear up so quickly (they cleared up last night!), and that chemo works over a few weeks or months, not overnight. We can only think that this was a result of God`s hand at work and give thanks. Keep praying!