“Do I Ever Have Some Catching Up For You!” Karen Is Home from the Hospital
Update for November 30, 2016

It was such a great Thanksgiving with many of our precious family. The Lord gave Karen several better days. We knew that the fluid was continuing to build; but after being thoroughly examined by one of her doctors, we were assured that the fluid didn’t necessitate being drained and that we could enjoy Thanksgiving with our family. The family did much of the work and Karen and I did celebrated family time together. What a precious time of family worship with everyone crowded into the living room.

Then Sunday night came. In the middle of the night, her breathing changed. I wanted to go immediately to the Emergency Room. Over the next few moments, she was able to clear her throat and take deep breaths which seemed to ease the noisy breath sounds. The next measurement showed that the fluid was in rapid production. She gained five pounds and almost three full inches larger than the day before. Our physician sent us straight to the ER, made arrangements, and had folks waiting for us. Karen was in before I could park the car and walk in. Oxygen brought her levels back up to a much better reading.

To make a long story shorter, the news is not good. The doctors drained over three liters from her abdominal region and over one liter from her lung. Imagine having four extra liters of cancerous fluid. I don’t know how she functioned as well as she did. Needless to say, I am married to a much small lady today.

Many have followed the Cyber Knife procedure with her lung. The report is good. The latest PET scan showed that the cancer activity in that old mass has ceased. Unfortunately before that cancerous mass was stopped, the fluid carrying the cancer cells spread. Now the seed-like cancer is in the lining in her abdominal wall. So we are in full battle mode ready to fight this new cancer. We would like to thank you for your prayers. Please pray that the fluid will not continue to build up and that the cancer would respond to the chemotherapy.

Karen came home from the hospital today. One of the last things the hospital doctor told her was, “I want you to eat as much as you can, anything you wish to eat. I don’t want you to lose any more weight. Just eat.” Can’t say that any doctor ever told me that!

We surely need the Lord. He is the Lord and He has a plan for each of our lives. We want to finish strong and be the servants the Lord can use. We want to be Psalm 100:2 kind of people.