Maggie is having a restful end of the week after her 5th round of CDiff last weekend. We suspected she had it about a month ago, had her tested, and had her cleared with a report of negative. She recovered some, but her last round of chemo upset the delicate balance of healthy-unhealthy gut critters once again. I spoke with Maggie’s GI doctor in Jackson Friday the 16th to get help in figuring out exactly what was bothering her. Dr. Rippel suspected CDiff even though the symptoms were not yet manifesting again. (The earlier test was most likely a false negative  and we needed a different, more sensitive test to determine it conclusively). Sure enough the next day, her fever spiked and the discomfort starting growing quickly. We’re thankful we were prepared with Vancomycin to treat her without the delay of waiting for the clinic/lab to open on Monday. By Monday, she started turning the corner toward a quiet gut. We’re thankful for Maggie’s doctors who make themselves super available to us for her care.

With Maggie rested and stronger, we plan to have one last targeted therapy (Cetuximab) infusion at Batson tomorrow morning. This may very well be her final round of standard/regular therapy. Our appointment at MD Anderson is rapidly approaching – March 7-8. Maggie’s team at MD encouraged us to proceed with the treatment tomorrow since it will take a few weeks from the time we sign consents for the clinical trial until we actually start. We’re praying now this “wait time” will be minimal and event-free.

Gratitude. How can we ever say enough about it. I have a longer story to share – I’m hoping later this week when we start the waiting game for the next phase of this journey to begin. God’s nudging me to open up and share more, and I need to follow. Until I can lay it all out and piece it together, I’ll leave you with a quick related thought.

Please don’t let time, reluctance, pain, pride, anything, keep you from saying thank you. I’m living, breathing, and taking each step on the mercies I find new each morning. I praise God for them and I try to share that thanks with those He uses to deliver these gifts. The healing power is enormous and far-reaching. A grateful heart pries open our hands and loosens the grip on treasures, transforming them – the treasures AND the hands – into instruments of gratitude. I can’t wait to share more with you.

Thank you for prayers for tomorrow – effective treatment, light side effects, and safety in traveling. Good night!