A Good Report

Well, we heard great news at the doctor's office today. Even though Linda's cough remains, there is no congestion in her lungs that create a concern of pneumonia. That is a huge relief. We are not unaware that the tumor and suppressed immune system remain huge concerns (as do a blood clot, diabetes that will not come under control, and other health issues), but we are grateful for the news on this day. ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRAYING AND FOR YOUR MANY WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO LINDA!

Our next major request is that Linda will be able to overcome an allergy to sulfa drugs. She has to take antibiotics for six weeks - tonight marks four weeks she has been receiving intravenous antibiotics (a pump here at home). The problem with IV antibiotics through a pic line is that infection is almost inevitable if the line remains in place long enough. Linda needs to get the pic line out of her arm, but we cannot risk a return to Listeria by quitting the antibiotics. Sulfa drugs are a good alternative to the ampicillin she is currently receiving, but, as already noted, Linda is allergic to sulfa drugs.

On Tuesday, Linda is scheduled to spend almost the entire day (office hours, that is) at the doctor's office trying to become desensitized to sulfa drug allergies. The doctor will give her a very small dose first thing in the morning, then gradually increase the doses all through the day. Hopefully, by the end of the day Linda will be able to take the medicine without negative effects. If she is able to begin taking the sulfa drugs, she will not only be protected (as far as these drugs are able to protect one, that is) from a return of the Listeria, but she will also be protected against PCP pneumonia, which has been one of our biggest concerns since her liver counts made it necessary to quit taking Dapsone, an antibiotic used when sulfa drugs are not able to be used. I hope that makes sense!

Well, since I began writing this post, we were wonderfully interrupted by friends, and I also had to tend to "shot-giving" and other nightly duties. Since the time I began the blog, Linda's cough (the doctor thinks bronchitis, but did not prescribe any more medicines) has worsened. She went through a period of about a month around November and early December, when she battled a miserable cough. Many trips to doctors, x-rays, and even a CT scan revealed no pneumonia. That may be where we are again. Even though the infection is not a present threat, if the cough is as bad as it was before, Linda will be heading back into rough waters. So, please continue to pray!

There is so much suffering in our world. Our good friend, Nancy Dean, is in a very serious condition tonight in the UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill. Ben Dean quit his Raleigh law practice a few years ago so that he and Nancy could serve as missionaries with Pioneer Missions. WHY so much suffering to such good people? If, as I exect, I am able to preach at Grace Community Church on Sunday, I hope to provide some biblical perspective in my sermon. I will provide the manuscript in this space.

So, we have great news to report, but we are a long way from normalcy! Life is seldom normal for any of us, though, and we are grateful to belong to the One Who controls the universe. I remember when all the religious leaders from several religions were asked to comment on the tsunami that killed so many people in Indonesia and other Asian countries in December of 2004. These leaders were asked if a loving God would cause such a disaster. Of courese, implicit in the question was the accusation that either God is not loving or that He is unable to stop such a tragic force of nature. I remember wondering why anyone would even consider worshiping a God incapable of stopping such a disaster? As I said, I hope to bring some perspective this weekend, but it will be a biblical perspective because my own personal perspective is only as good as my understanding of Scripture. I am sure I will write before then - thanks for checking so faithfully in order to be able to pray more specifically for Linda.