Happy New Year!!

Randy, Dan, Andrew, Matthew and myself are so blessed to know and love so many family and friends who take time to make sure we are all doing good. Your thoughts and prayers for our family encourage us to get through this most difficult time.  Our freezer is filled with good food, our sweet tooth has lots to choose from, your words of encouragement strengthen us and the thoughtful gifts brighten our day.  Thank you all so much!!

 

 

It has been a busy week already.  Monday we had to go to the Foothills to have Randy's  lab work done (1 pm) and then we met with the oncologist (2:40pm) to have an update another long day of waiting.  It's quite an ordeal.  Saw the nurse first then saw a family doctor that works with Dr. Tam and then saw Dr. Tam.  Have to tell your story 3 times!! Crazy....It was discussed and since his first round of Chemo went good it was decided to add the third drug to the chemo treatment plan.  As it is the harshest of the three so they also added another anti-nausea drug plus it could be hard on his heart muscle.   His leg is still very sore so they ordered an ultrasound. 

Tuesday we had the "big" chemo treatment plus the ultrasound.  It was discovered that there are more blood clots in his upper thigh and lower abdomen.   Doctors have increased the amount of Tinzaparin in order to combat these new clots. 

It was very busy in the oncology ward as they had to fit in all the Tuesday and Wednesday patients together.  They were running 1 hour behind so we were there for 4.5 hours. Very long day again for Randy :(   The addition of the new chemo drug does not add any time to the process.  It is in two syringes which they push through with the 1st saline drip.  It is red in color so it will change the color of the urine to pink/red thank goodness they told us or we might have thought something was wrong!!

As of now Randy is not feeling too bad no nausea  YEAH!! just a little off, flu like symptoms and very tired.  The addition of the new drug will definitely increase the amount of fatigue Randy will feel.

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.

We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.

In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.

In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.

In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.

And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end” (Psalm 119:33).

We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.

Bring our divided nation together, and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).

As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us—far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.

And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come.

Amen