Wednesday, October 29, 2008

God's Umbrella

Okay. I give up! God has certainly made it clear to me that while I have been feeling overwhelmed, He has had it ALL under control.

Bear with me while I try to explain.

1. Our accident: We knew that God was with us during that accident. We were hit very hard by a drunk driver. The fact that we were pretty much uninjured is the work of God. How many people have been terribly injured or killed by a drunk driver?

2. Our accident: We knew our van had some damage, but initial inspections showed that the damage was not believed to be disabling. We were able to drive it back home from the beach without any problems. We think we might have put 500 miles on it post-accident. We found out today that the rear suspension was knocked out of place when we were hit. WE DROVE HOME WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS! The what-ifs are circling.

3. Dishwasher: Our dishwasher went out Sunday night. The weekend was hectic. Monday was hectic. The last thing I needed was to deal with a broken dishwasher full of dirty dishes. I finally got them all done. I don't have a problem washing dishes by hand. I've done before, I'll do it again. It was simply the hassle of it all. On days like the last few that we have had, normal things ( like dishwashers breaking or kids getting sick) tend to send me over the edge. The dishwasher issue has been taken care of. We will have a new one delivered and installed on Friday. Someone (you know who you are) has been very generous to provide us with one. To the Special Someone: Rest assured your instructions were followed to the letter. Karen was very helpful and kind. We can not thank you enough.

So, God has once again shown me that He is still in charge. My worries are for nothing. He is indeed holding the umbrella. It was my choice to step out from His shelter. I do admit that He probably had to fold up the umbrella and hit me over the head with it before I got a clue!

Keith is feeling okay. His cough has gotten worse, but he called the oncologist this morning and got some antibiotics. He also got some strict instructions to follow (check temperature, monitor breathing, call if anything changes). Please pray for him. He has coughed to the point his stomach hurts. Please pray that he will find relief soon.

I'm still anxious about next week, but I am trying to let God's peace take over.

Thank you for all of the prayers!

Kristy

Monday, October 27, 2008

Raining

I mentioned in my email update about Keith that it feels like it is raining and we don't have an umbrella. The bottom line of it all is that everything is on the verge of feeling overwhelming right now. The issues created by the accident are still there. My back is better thanks to a fantastic massage "terrorist". It hurt a lot during, but the following day my back was 100% better. My back will twinge occasionally, but I can function without pain. My van is still in the shop. Maybe we'll have it back tomorrow.

Another big frustration is that our dishwasher died last night...full of dishes. I have to go face the dishes in a few minutes. I'm putting it off. I hate washing dishes. I am going to be washing dishes by hand for a while. With Christmas right around the corner, the out of pocket money for the accident, and a few other costly items, the dishwasher is low on the list right now. To be honest, the dishwasher isn't even on the list. As long as my hands work, the dishwasher can probably stay off the list for a while. I already miss it though.

That's all I have time for today. I'll try to get back later. The kids have homework, and we have revival at church tonight. That means I've got to get moving!

Kristy

Monday, October 13, 2008

Catching up

We are slowly getting back into the swing of things after fall break. We were able to go to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach again this year with Keith's parents. Other than a couple of rainy days, a couple of really windy days (One day the sand was blowing so hard, we couldn't bear to be out in it!), the beach was wonderful.

The trip wasn't as relaxing as we had hoped it would be. We were involved in a traffic accident in Bay Minette, which is about an hour away from the Gulf. A drunk driver rear-ended us while we were sitting at a traffic light. We are mostly uninjured. My lower back is giving me some problems. I'll have that checked out sometime this week. Our van is another story though. The guy was driving one of the bigger pickup trucks. The speed limit on the road is 55 MPH. There wasn't any screeching of tires, so we figure he was doing at least 50MPH when he hit us. Our van is pretty banged up. After getting it checked out at a collision shop, we were able to drive it home.

Now we begin the process of getting the van fixed. We've got to contact the guy's insurance company so they can reimburse us for the cost of the rental, and other costs. Sometimes I just feel like trouble follows us around. Keith and I are so thankful that everyone was safe. I shudder to think about how different the outcome would have been if we had been in a smaller vehicle. God was truly watching over us.

I have been struggling with a lot of anger and hostility toward the guy that hit us. I am praying that God will help me to forgive this man. Please pray for me as I struggle with this.

Keith and I met with his oncologist this morning. Keith's blood counts are the best they've been in a very long time. His platelets are 74! Praise God! His white blood cell count is 4.0. That is great! What a blessing it was when the doctor told us this morning! Keith seems to be responding well to the time off from the hard chemo.

We also discussed the plans for the short term with the doctor. Keith will have another chemo treatment in two weeks and then CT scans will follow on November 6. We will get the results on Monday, November 10. If the scans show continued improvement or stable disease, then Keith will continue on this lighter chemo for a while longer. If there is some slight increase, then Keith may have to go back to wearing the chemo pump for several days again. If there is a significant increase, the heavy duty chemo will be started back up again.

Keith is doing well. He looks good. His hair is growing and thickening. I am worried, because he seems to tire more easily. I was really surprised this morning that his counts were good, because he has been that tired. His being tired could be a number of things. I am going to try not to dwell on it, and leave it in God's hands.

Please continue to pray for us during the coming weeks. We have a lot going on. Nick's checkup and scans will be in November as well. The PET scans will be Monday, November 3. The special CT scans and checkup will be on Thursday, November 6. That is the same day that Keith's scans are scheduled. That is going to be a tough day.

Kacie is doing good. She is still having coughing from her bout with bronchitis. She'll probably have to go back to the doctor if it doesn't get better soon. She loved swimming in the pool at the condo last week. Kacie has grown from a child who was afraid to get her face wet into a little fish. She reminds me so much of myself when I was a child. She and Nick are such a blessing to us.

I think that pretty much catches us up. I'll update more as time allows.

Kristy