Patience

Nicole is on day 5 of chemo or day -9 before her transplant, depending on how you want to think about it.  So far Nicole been handling her chemo really well. She has only thrown up once.  With the ATG chemo she received for the first 4 days, she could have had some serious reaction to it.  They pre-medicated her with Tylenol/Benadryl and Solu-Medrol (steroid) every 4 hours to help reduce the risk of a bad reaction.  Today she started with Fludarabine, which she will get for 5 days.  They say this one could make her a little nauseous.  They plan on seeing how well she handles her feeds. When she starts to throw up they will stop her feeds and start her with TPN and Lipids for her nutrition. (IV steak and potatoes).

Over the past few days I have pondered and read a little on patience.  Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin gave a conference talk in April 1997 titled "Patience, a Key to Happiness.  He gives the definition of patience "Dictionaries define patience in such terms as bearing pain or sorrow calmly or without complaint; not being hasty or impetuous; being steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity." Then he shares this scripture  "The Apostle Paul gave the purpose of patience in his epistle to the Saints in Rome: “We glory in tribulations … knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

“And patience, experience; and experience, hope” (Rom. 5:3–4)." I then went to the Preach my Gospel manual.  In chapter 6 "How do I develop Christlike attributes", I wondered if it said anything about patience.  The Savior endured much and I thought it must be one of his attributes.  It was there!! "Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God’s will and accept His timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith—you must wait for the Lord’s promised blessings to be fulfilled."  I thought related to hope and faith? I never thought of patience this way before. 

 

Nicole journey is teaching us patience.  But I always thought of it the way the world views patience.  Waiting for the appointment, lab results or for this doctor to come in.  I never thought of it as a step to become more like our Savior.  How grateful I am for the wisdom of our prophets and apostles that help me understand who our Savior really is.

 

Nicole chemo schedule before her transplant

The sweet welcome sign for Nicole

 

 

 

This is how we have keep ourselves busy-with stickers, stickers and more stickers:)