Transplant + 4

Have you ever noticed that time can go so slow and yet at the same time fly by? Today is my 13th day in the hospital, and sometimes I think I can remember every minute, and then it is suddenly 4 days since the transplant. Amazing. Today was long though. I have been told to tell the nurses if I feel anyway different, or unusual. How do you define that? Last evening I started to feel a slight discomfort in my upper chest. My thinking is that if I get an infection it maybe starting there. It remains all evening and at the 2 a.m. vitals check I mention it to the nurse. 15 minutes later I have a tech here with a portable EKG machine to make sure my heart is okay. Lots of discussion on whether to get a chest xray during the night too. I was thinking more of a notation of said discomfort in my nights file. Close watch all night then. My lungs are clear and discomfort remains about the same and no fever yet! I did keep the blood bank busy today though. My hemoglobin dropped to 86 so they ran two units of red blood cell in today, which took 4 hours. My platelet count was now <10 which is the lowest reading they give, so another unit of platelets followed the blood. The Canadian Blood Services aren't kidding when they use the phrase "The gift of life." A treat for me this morning. I am unhooked from my IV machine in order to take a shower every morning. Being a Saturday morning, the oncology floor is a lot quieter. I put my running shoes on, masked up, and spent 20 minutes on a power walk in the halls, followed by stretching excercises. Felt great. The Lord works through His people every day. I was reminded of that this afternoon during our devotions. We were looking at that well known portion from Habakkuk 3. This summer one afternoon I was home alone. I had a good morning, but that afternoon was feeling melancholy. A friend called out of the blue to encourage me and we went to that portion of Scripture and get to the resounding YET. Spurgeon wrote "Praise Him before you are delivered. Praise Him for what is coming. Adore Him for what He is going to do. I do not think there is a sweeter song in God's ear than the song of one who blesses Him for grace that has not yet been tasted, who blesses Him for answers that have not been received but are sure to come." That too, is grace through the Spirit. Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. Have a blessed Sunday.