Greetings all, Nathan here.  I’m typing for Carlee tonight as she is deep asleep in a drugged sort of way. She’s so tough. 

Carlee was suppose to start chemo treatment yesterday but due to some great counsel and a red flag that we had from the Lord we had changed treatment plans to a plan that Carlee felt much clearer about (and so did I).  Her treatment started sometime after 12:00 PM today and the nurse chose to give her the cancer drug that would take the longest for infusion first.  It’s called  Herceptin.  This monoclonal antibodies drug specifically targets her type of cancer like a smart bomb.  Tells the body to get rid of the particular cell that is mass reproducing.  This was to be followed by Carboplatin and Taxotere which are both chemo.

A small percentage of patients have a reaction when first introduced to the drug.  This is treated by stopping the dose for a half hour and starting up again.  About 15 min. into the dose Carlee said she felt really weird and dizzy.  Nurse stopped it for a few minuets and then started it again.  I won’t go into all of the horrors of it for me but enough to say that moments later, Carlee had a pretty violent reaction to it.  I thought I was staring death in the face.  She started shaking violently all over from her jaw to her toes.  Carlee usually likes to talk but for once I had to hold her mouth shut to prevent her from biting her swollen tongue. 

It was a pretty horrific 15 to 20 min. before the counter measure drugs took affect which then introduced another set of issues we had to monitor for several hours.  The drugs they gave her knocked her out and she has slept the rest of the day except for a short bit to eat and make a few phone calls.  She had awful joint pain following the “rigors” but gratefully that didn’t last long as we cried out to the Lord for deliverance for her and the Lord answered quickly.  Thank you, Jesus.

It’s so wonderful to see color back in her face and hands.  Thank you all for your prayers.  The nurse said it’s probable that her body will build the immunity necessary to endure this treatment but couldn’t promise that would happen by the next treatment.  The Doctor called off further treatments for today, thankfully, but we are scheduled to start the treatment again tomorrow (Wed) at noon our time. 

Please pray that God will spare her body from further reaction to this drug or any of the others. Sometimes I look at her and wonder how much more she can take but I also KNOW that God is with us and we “can do all things through Christ which strengthens us.” 

I can’t tell you how much the verses and prayers have meant to us each day, sent by so many of you.  They have many times been the prayers and verses quoted back to the Lord from our hearts when so often I can’t seem to find words and thoughts of my own to express to the Lord. 

On a more exciting note... Caleb was released from his breathing tube yesterday!  WOOOO HOOOOO ! ! !  He needs to learn to drink from his bottle now.  He’s not quite getting the hang of it and tires before he’s getting it all down.  So feeding tube stays in until he gets the sucking thing down.  Mom Sobie kindly went over tonight for us and fed Caleb his evening bottle.  I haven’t heard yet how that went but we’re hopeful and prayerful that he’ll be gaining weight and eating on his own soon.  Thank you, Lord, for all the progress so far.  It’s SO awesome to see his little face minus all the hoses and wires.  WONDERFUL.

Love and Blessings to all,

Nate, the Carleeologist  :-)