Time for a refill

Today was another long but productive day spent at the clinic. Elena was scheduled for a 9:30 am sedation with a lumbar puncture and an IV shot of chemo. The actual procedure usually lasts less than 10 minutes. We were planning on being done in time to enjoy lunch together before she went back to school for the afternoon. That was before she woke up with a headache and feeling nauseated. She had actually been having headaches on and off over the weekend that we attributed to her having Cytoxan, Cytarabine shots 4 days in a row and being a little stuffy. As it turns out, it was a combination of those things along with the fact that she was anemic as well. Elena's hemoglobin had dropped below the 8.0 mark to 7.2. That meant that she would be needing a blood transfusion after her sedation and chemo. The first part of the day went as scheduled and Elena did great. She was not happy to learn that we would be staying for quite a bit longer, however, and she was still feeling puny. She told me she "just wanted to go home and lay on the couch, watch a movie, eat popcorn and rest". I didn't blame her one bit, but we settled for a hospital bed in room #3 with chips and queso dip from Moe's while she watched Disney and filled her tank.

That process was delayed a little because of the fact that no one knew Elena would need a transfusion and they had to cross match her blood type and get it ordered from the bank. This gave us time to collect ourselves, get some lunch and settle in for the rest of the afternoon. By 1:30 pm Elena was hooked up and the 3 plus hour process was started. It was amazing to watch the transformation in Elena as her body slowly recovered. You could almost see the color come back into her features as the blood flowed out of the bag and into her body. By the time she was done her head felt much better, she wasn't nauseated and she was even talking about getting home in time for dance! We left the hospital at 4:45, an hour before dance practice, and I tried talking Elena into that rest she was so high on earlier in the day the whole way home. She would have none of it! We made it home in 45 minutes, which gave her plenty of time to change for dance and to have a snack before going. Praise God! This girl is truly incredible!

It is amazing what we can do when we are running on a full tank! So often we don't even realize that we are running on empty and desperately need to be filled. We are so thankful that God is in control and knows exactly what we need and when we need it. We pray for His will in our lives and ask for His guidance and wisdom to lead us toward the right path. Today was a great example of how He cares for us in all things! We celebrate His love for us!

In Him,
The Tates

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7