December 27: Nanette had a bad headache yesterday and again today. She is suffering from insomnia which is probably caused by the Avastin or steroids. It is hard for the doctors to determine the origin. She also had a fever of 102 so Huntsman told her to come to Salt Lake and see a doctor in the Acute Cancer Care unit. They said she was a little dehydrated so they hooked her up to two bags of fluids. They did a thorough physical exam and sent blood to the lab to see if she had an infection which can be masked by the dosage of steroids she is taking. They couldn't detect a problem but have put her on an antibiotic as a precaution. She was tired when we got her back home. The insomnia is discouraging to her but she is hoping that the positive work of the drugs she is taking will outweigh the negative. We met the most amazing nurse today. She is a young woman who just started at Huntsman. When the hurricane leveled a part of the Phillipines, she immediately booked a flight at her own expense and went to help where she could. She didn't have a clue what to do but with a two other people she met there and with medical supplies donated by others, they started a clinic in one of the LDS chapels still standing and started to help people. She said there were only three of them to start but it grew to be a big clinic and is still there today helping people. She said pictures don't even begin to describe the destruction. It was inspiriing to hear her tell of the sweet and generous native people there who continued to be optimistic and hopeful even though their troubles were many.
Her story touched all of us. Nanette also remains cheerful and optimistic regardless of the small hurdles she faces every day. Her faith is strong and she believes there are better days ahead. We heard a song the other day with these lyrics, "What if your blessings come through raindrops and your healing comes through tears and a thousand sleepless nights are what brings the Savior near." She has felt the truth of those words in her life at this time, sleepless nights and all.
I love the lyrics and hope they continue to bring comfort, Nanette. I'm known as the quote queen at work, and one of my favorites is: "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is that small voice at the end of the day saying, I'll try again tomorrow." And my Daddy used to say when I was going through a bad time, "Honey, you just have to keep on keepin' on." Keep on keepin' on, Nanette, and know there are so many of us out here who carry a prayer in our hearts for you every minute. Joyce and I are going to be in Utah sometime in the next few months and plan to give you and your Mom hugs in person -- in the meantime, please give each other a hug from me. Lots of love to you, your Mom, and your family,
ReplyDeleteCarol Peterson