White Water Ahead

One of the greatest adventures our family has experienced together was to shoot the rapids on the Arkansas River in Colorado during one of our many trips to that awe-inspiring part of the country. I well remember the terror and exhilaration we all felt as our guide navigated our inflatable raft through “The Toilet”, that part of the river that swirled and churned as if indeed we were all destined to be gulped into some unseen giant septic tank below.

Our recent days on this journey have seen both still and troubled waters:
· Sunday, 2/24/08 – Since I was too weak to attend church, our CARE group (a gathering of dear and faithful friends who have grown to love the Lord and each other as we have met regularly for Bible study and prayer) set aside time to pay a visit. It was a sweet time of encouragement, intimate worship, fellowship, and powerful prayer.
· Tuesday – The worsening pain and nausea finally got the best of me and I lost my breakfast. Hoping that would then provide some period of reprieve, we headed out the door for a scheduled MRI of the entire spine at the imaging center. En route, however, the abdominal pain worsened, nausea returned and I felt as if I would pass out. We diverted to the emergency room where, after IV fluids and more drugs, the symptoms abated. A repeat CT of the abdomen showed no change from the previous studies, no infection, and no obstruction (praise God!). An adjustment in the pain management regimen has since helped.
· Wednesday – The rescheduled MRI of the spine was performed. As both a physician and patient, I now have a greater appreciation of the trials I sometimes caused my own patients when ordering this test: two full hours of lying perfectly still, flat on one’s back inside a very noisy tube and very little cushioning can be grueling. The MRI shows that no part of my spine is spared from tumor involvement. Good news: there is no structural compromise or evident impingement of either spinal cord or nerves. It’s a miracle I am not a puddle of protoplasm!

We are now anticipating a week-long admission to UVA Health Center to undergo the high-dose Interleukin-2 therapy, which will begin Monday morning, March 3. The treatment is extremely toxic... white water ahead.

As in that little rubber boat being tossed by forces both powerful and exhilarating, I choose to enter this part of the journey as another adventure, with the reassuring knowledge that there are others whom I love and who love me right there with me – leaning in just the right direction, pulling their oar with mine, and all the time piloted by a strong and all-knowing Guide.

Thanks for sharing this journey with us,
Dan