Update 9/14/06

UPDATE: On Thursday, 9/14/06 Naomi began Delayed Intensification Maintenance. For this 56-day portion of Naomi's chemotherapy she and I will stay near the hospital at the recommendation of her doctors. Unfortunately, today we had a rough start. Naomi and I stayed up last night until 2:30am and woke this morning at 6:30am. The goal or purpose was to exhaust her so that she would sleep through her spinal tap procedure. Normally she would go to the APU where an anesthetist would put her to sleep, but they had open appointments and considering her hypoglycemia, we couldn't go on the waiting list (which requires fasting until an opening comes available. Hypoglycemic patients require food intake every 4-6 hours). Naomi fought me and the nurses during the spinal tap procedure and ended up with some bruses on her shoulder from the nurse trying to immobilize her. She is scheduled in the APU for the next spinal tap but if her ANC numbers drop again, she will have to forfet the appointment again, thereby leaving us faced with the option of putting her on the waiting list or trying to immobilize her again.

This phase is broken into a series of 3 weeks. Naomi will receive chemotherapy once per week, and will receive steroids for the first 21 days. Week 4 is for recovery from the intensity of the drugs but is also the most dangerous week, 90% of patients end up being hospitalized during this week as the body taken off the steroids and makes the necessary adjustments. If she is hospitalized, cheomthropy will stop untill she recovers. During weeks 5 and 6, Naomi will need to get chemotherapy at the hosiptal everyday. Finally, during weeks 7 and 8 she will be off all medication and be allowed to return home.

PRAISE REPORT: Naomi had an echocardiogram of her heart on Tuesday and the report came back as normal and healthly!!!

PRAYER REQUESTS: Please keep us lifted up in your prayers. The family separation we must endure is hard on all of us.

Until later, may the Lord bless you,

Nina