Excitement and Drama- prayer needed

No great cancer victory story is complete without a little drama and excitement.  Well, yesterday Brandi had a little bit of excitement.  (This is Aunt Barrie... Mike's sister blogging on behalf of Brandi today.) Early Tuesday morning, Brandi awoke with a fever.  My brother Mike, being the great protector that he is, assessed the situation and concluded that she needed to head to the ER. (Remember that Brandi was in the middle of Chemo Round 2 and had that crazy pump attached at the time.) She was admitted and evaluated.  It seems that the new chemo drugs that were being mixed in with the standard chemo drugs weren't getting along so well.  Adjustments have been made to the chemo cocktail, and it looks like things will get back on track.

In the meantime, the fever is still a concern. Fevers signal infection, and the only infection they have identified (so far) is a urinary tract infection (UTI).  That's actually a pretty typical infection seen during this type of cancer treatment.  Brandi has asked me to ask you that we all pray hard that the only infection causing her fever is this UTI.  When infections get in the bloodstream, things get a lot more dramatic than we need.  Her fever is down to 99 degrees or so this morning compared to 103 yesterday.

The presence of infection reminds us all that Brandi's condition is serious.  We need to be on our knees and praying, but we also need to be taking some practical steps as well.  Please do not call or visit for the time being.  I know we all love her and want to be supportive, but we can not risk carrying infection into her home.  Also, please don't send flowers as they may carry germs.  I'm sure that plain old "snail mail" would be a great encouragement for her.  The bottom line is... the more she isolates herself from physical contact with others, and the more she sleeps/rests, the better chance her body has of battling through this.  Heidi is coordinating food and I know while Brandi may not be that interested in eating, Mike and the kids need to eat, and eat well.  Thanks for keeping all these things in mind.  And thanks for those extra prayers today!

My "One Year Bible" included the following Psalm for August 4th and I found it quite timely:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation... so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?..... Even when I am attacked, I will remain confident....For He will conceal me when troubles come; He will hide me in His sanctuary.  He will place me out of reach on a high rock... At His sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music."  Psalm 27:1-6