Iowa City Hospital Stay #4 - Fevers and Other Issues - November 2-12

The first few days in the hospital, I started feeling better than when we came to the ER on Sunday, though I lacked energy. I enjoyed my single room very much. They continued to try to determine the source of my infection(s). One blood culture came back positive for strep, so they decided to remove my PICC line, even though it showed no signs of infection. It was just a likely source, they said. And they continued to give me IV antibiotics.

Because of the unknown infection(s), they were not sure when I would be able to go home. This was an ongoing problem throughout my stay in the hospital. I also had no energy because my hemoglobin was quite low several days (7.0-8.2). Had it been any lower, I would have required a blood transfusion.

Wednesday the 4th was a rough day. (I tried not to be too graphic with this, and yet transparent.) I had been dealing with constipation even before coming to the hospital, and we were trying medications to help with that, but nothing was working. They could not do a suppository or enema because I was neutropenic  and at risk for further infections. I finally passed the blockage, but with all the different medicines in me, they made my insides churn for the rest of the day. And the 5th I had diarrhea as those medicines cleaned me out. Not fun. At all.

In addition, I had a fever again Wednesday night. They took two more blood cultures to check for infection (I lost track of how many cultures they actually did while I was in the hospital). Because it takes up to 48 hours to process the cultures, this means that I am in the hospital for sure until Saturday.

Thursday the 5th I had a CT scan to determine whether I still needed the nephrostomy tube in my right kidney. I learned that because I had an E. coli infection in the urinary tract, tomorrow they will either remove or replace my tube. I am hoping for removal, but my doctor is against doing that at this time.

There was some good news in all of this - my white blood cell count returned to normal.

Friday the 6th I had the nephrostomy tube on the right side replaced. They verified that the right kidney was draining correctly to the bladder, so the plan is to go back in 2-3 weeks, double check that everything is still working, and then to remove the tube. That will be an exciting day!

In the last couple of weeks I lost parts of a crown from a molar in a couple of different pieces. Because the doctors wanted to be sure that this was not a possible source of infection, on Friday I also went to a dentist to see what he thought. He was confident that everything was OK and that I will be just fine for some time, though long-term I do need to do something about replacing the crown.

I was also supposed to get a new PICC line put in, but with everything else, that did not happen. Maybe it will happen on Saturday, but more than likely on Monday.

Friday afternoon I learned that I would need to stay in the hospital until at least Monday. This was very disappointing and frustrating for me. As I shared about this on Facebook, I tried to share honestly that I do not have it all figured out, but that I will work through this and will continue to trust God in spite of the disappointment!

Why, you may ask, would I need to stay until at least Monday? Earlier in the week, we learned that there was a likelihood that when I go home, we would need to have an IV pump so that I could continue to receive the IV antibiotic. That requires finding a home health care agency that works with our insurance company. On Friday late morning, a hospital social worker came to talk to me about getting this set up with our insurance. Our insurance is excellent overseas, but sometimes is "special" and has its challenges stateside. I told Denise that this was a pretty big hurdle that this guy was up against.

He returned about 4 PM to let us know how sorry he was, but that he was going home at 4:30 PM and would be back on Monday to work on our problem. I told him that it would be different if he could guarantee me that he would have a solution on Monday. Of course, he tried to alleviate my fears, but I thought that he was simply naive. Even in this situation, God is faithful, and He never leaves us or forsakes us.

I will survive this disappointment, though my body is tired of the hospital bed, my mind is tired of the hospital, and I have no desire to eat the hospital food (though it is actually pretty good). My hope is to be out of the bed more, now that I am feeling better. Shortly before the social worker returned with the bad news, I had commented to Denise that my body was ready for my recliner at home again. I am sure that I just need a touch from God and a good night's sleep.

In all of this, as I read through some devotionals from "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, a couple of them spoke to me and I share them with you here.

February 16

THANK ME for the conditions that are requiring you to be still. Do not spoil these quiet hours by wishing them away, waiting impatiently to be active again. Some of the greatest works in My kingdom have been done from sickbeds and prison cells. Instead of resenting the limitations of a weakened body, search for My way in the midst of these very circumstances. Limitations can be liberating when your strongest desire is living close to Me.

Quietness and trust enhance your awareness of My Presence with you. Do not despise these simple ways of serving Me. Although you feel cut off from the activity of the world, your quiet trust makes a powerful statement in spiritual realms. My Strength and Power show themselves most effective in weakness.

ZECHARIAH 2:13; ISAIAH 30:15; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 AMP

As I read the very first line ("Thank Me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still"), I realized that was exactly what I needed to do. God had a plan and I simply needed to trust Him as I had been doing already.

February 23

BE ON GUARD against the pit of self-pity. When you are weary or unwell, this demonic trap is the greatest danger you face. Don't even go near the edge of the pit. Its edges crumble easily, and before you know it, you are on the way down. It is ever so much harder to get out of the pit than to keep a safe distance from it. That is why I tell you to be on guard.

There are several ways to protect yourself from self-pity. When you are occupied with praising and thanking Me, it is impossible to feel sorry for yourself. Also, the closer you live to Me, the more distance there is between you and the pit. Live in the Light of My Presence by fixing your eyes on Me. Then you will be able to run with endurance the race that is set before you, without stumbling or falling.

PSALM 89:15-16; HEBREWS 12:1-2 NASB

Boy, did I need that reminder. I was dangerously near that pit of self-pity, and had likely started my way into it. But God lifted me out of the miry pit when I turned to Him!

That did not mean that I was excited to stay in the hospital until Monday, but it did mean that I knew that I could do it. Why? Because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!

Sleeping one afternoon while Denise visited

Over the weekend I lost my single room. Evidently someone else needed it more than I did, so I was moved to a double room. I was very thankful for no horror stories with my roommate this time around.

Monday the 9th was day 8 in the hospital with tests and IV antibiotics. On Friday, I started having a fever every evening that would go away with Tylenol. They had no idea what was causing the fever, but perhaps this was why I needed to stay over the weekend. Only God knows for sure.

In addition, because of these new fevers they wanted to keep me for two more days to observe. Wow, this is crazy! It seemed that I had become a mystery to the doctors. They really needed wisdom and had run a lot of tests to try to determine what was going on with me.

Normally they plan a PET scan following round 3 of chemo to verify what the chemo is doing to the cancer. Because of all my issues, my doctor decided to do a PET scan between rounds 2 and 3 of chemo instead. When we saw the doctor a week later, we learned that the cancer is reduced by more than half of what it was in September. The doctor was very encouraged, and we praised God for His work in all of this!

Tuesday the 10th, the doctors decided to try giving me Naproxen (a form of ibuprofen) twice a day. Their theory was this - if it prevents these new fevers, then that proves that the lymphoma is causing them. No fevers Tuesday night. One more day of observation. No fevers Wednesday night. They decided to have me continue taking this through Sunday. And the fevers did not return after I stopped taking the Naproxen.

Thursday the 12th, they drained more than 2 liters of fluid off my left lung, making a total of more than 8 liters of fluid that had come off my lungs in the last two months.

The third time I have had fluid drawn from my lungs
This procedure is not difficult and I simply sit still

The end result

Late in the afternoon on Thursday, I finally received the OK to leave the hospital. We left a little before 6 PM, and I was so thankful to be released!

We do not know when my next round of chemo will be for sure, but most likely sometime next week. It was supposed to be today.

I shared this on Facebook after we returned home:

For those who were concerned about me being down because of all of this, yes, I was down but not out. I just needed some time. God was with me. He reminded me of an older song the other day, "I Am Willing, Lord", that helped fix my perspective. Here is the first verse:

"Sometimes when I am down,
And I don't feel like you are around, Oh Lord.
Feeling so sorry for me,
Not knowing that all the while
You're working to see.
If when I'm put through the fire,
I'll come out shining like gold.
Oh Lord, please don't ever stop working with me
'Til you see I can be all you want me to be."

Even though I was in the hospital 12 days instead of only 4 or 5, I know that God was with me, and He took good care of me. I chose and continue to choose to trust Him!