Wow, this cold really knocked me out! Thankfully, I am feeling much better today. Your prayers have certainly lifted me up. While I’ve been up and moving around, I am just now feeling up to blogging again.
I had a fever all weekend. We were in Dallas for a wedding but came home early because I just wasn’t doing well. Slept the whole weekend away, and barely ate a few bites. Faucet for a nose, coughing, diarrhea, were the main culprits. Even though I was starting to feel a little better on Monday, we went to the doctor. He ran some tests and told me he would let me know the next day whether I would need to be on medicine. Is it the chemo? Is it a cold? I’m thinking it’s a cold because I really don’t want to go through this every three weeks.
The first test he ran was a flu test, to see if it was the flu. THAT was an experience. Basically the nurse said to hold one nostril shut while she shoots some saline up my other nostril. Oh, and don’t swallow. Then you are going to blow your nose into this little dixie cup. Honestly! I’m not making this up. In my wildest dreams I would not have been able to imagine how they did the flu test. With head held back, how does one close the throat? And how do you not spit it out or swallow? So many questions interrogated my mind– I felt like I was being waterboarded. Saline ran all the way down my throat and gagged me, so I ended up spitting in the cup. She was not happy. I was not supposed to spit. I was supposed to blow. I did a little better the second time, but if ever I get sick again, I’ll just tell them I’ll pass on the flu test.
After all that, I’m happy to say it’s not the flu. Apparently some other cold, bug or something. I’ve had a cold before, but when you are on chemo a cold can kick your butt. Well, anything can kick your butt actually. If I have a fever of 100.4 or greater, I have to go to the ER. We didn’t do that in Dallas, and fortunately it didn’t turn ugly. My fever was teetering around 100.3 and then down to 99.7 for a few days. Now it’s back to normal. But when white blood counts are low (and you never know when they are low), the body has no fighting power.
The doctor said my counts are rising which is a good thing, and he said I’m doing well after the first chemo. So I think this is just a cold.
This reminds me of the Scripture that tells us to take on the full armor of God, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12 NLT). There is a fight going on in my body, one that I cannot see, where white blood cells are building forces to fight the enemy inside. They cannot fight the cancer, but they can fight the bacteria or viruses that may come my way. Right now they are on the winning side. They will replenish, but I need to rest and protect my body to let them do their work. I need to be vigilant about staying clear of people and places who are sick.
In the same way we know there is a spiritual fight for our souls. God’s full army is fighting for us. We cannot see the evil forces that are fighting to take over our souls, but they are there. Don’t ever for a moment think you are safe because you feel fine. It is when you feel safe, and stop being vigilant, that the devil will find a way in. We must protect our souls so God’s army can do His work. We need to be vigilant. Pray, nurture our souls with worship, stay true to the Word, and fellowship with other believers.
Until next time….