Dean P. Demos

I have been driven to the Northside Hospital BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant Facility) everyday for nearly 30 days.  Today, I don’t have to go.  I will spend some of the day with my daughter, Julie, at her home, and the rest of the day with Patty at our home after she gets off work.

One nuisance is the rectangular black bag I have connected by a line to my port that supplies continuous antibiotics to me.  It goes with me EVERYWHERE!  It will be my friend for the next 10 days.  Yuk!

I’m feeling much better since the staph infection incident.  Thanks for the prayer.

Paul said “Let us lay aside every sin and weight which so easily trips us.”  We are prone to slide into dangerous thinking which coddles and tolerates sin in our lives.  This bag reminds me to keep my life consecrated to the Lord and His purposes so subtle sin doesn’t deter me from freely and efficiently serving Him.

“Jesus, keep me pure, keep me clean so that You may be seen.  Let your love, let your love flow through me.”

Wednesday afternoon, I began feeling lousy with fever, chills, and vomiting.  Sorry for the details. Upon consulting with Dr. Morris who was on call, I was instructed to take tylenol and see them in the morning.

I was given IV antibiotics which have succeeded in giving relief.  Temp is now normal again.  I was really weak, and blood pressure was 88/56.  Wow, I’ve never seen it that low since I was in my mother’s womb.

I’m much better.  It’s under control.  I will have a hand-carry pump with me for the next 10 days to get another antibiotic.  I see other patients carrying them, so here goes.

Thanks to all who rallied in prayer.  I haven’t felt that lousy in a long time.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them ALL.”

Everyday until this coming Thursday, I travel to the BMT clinic for my check up and IVs. After they check my vitals and draw blood, I receive fluids at a “station” in front of a picture window on the tenth floor of “The Tower,” along with the 15-25 patients also going through this procedure.

The results of my blood labs will determine what I need for that day.  It may be blood products, or potassium etc.  I am seen by either a Dr. or a “Mid-Level” nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.  They are all extremely nice and very capable in this specialty area of medicine and treatment.  For this I am grateful.

Please pray for Bryant, a 28 year old fellow patient who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.  This, after he survived leukemia and treatment as a 2 year old.  His father reached out to me for prayer and ministry for his son.  They have had a long battle.

There are needy people all around us.

“Jesus, fill us with your love that we might be sensitive to the hurting people all around us.  Heal, restore, save, and strengthen others through our reaching out.  In Your mighty name we pray.  Amen.”

While in the hospital for fever, my stem cells began producing.  The white cell count is rising as well as my immunity index.  I am so grateful.

Patty stood by me as usual.  She means so much to me.

We are home from the Northside Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant wing, and just about ready to crawl into OUR OWN BED.

Thanks to all for your prayer support.  I didn’t experience the mouth sores so many transplant patients experience.  Prayer is effective.

“Lord, continue to give me strength as I walk this walk, and strengthen all my Kingdom of God family members as they encounter struggles.  We can do ALL THINGS THRU YOU.”

The prayer is definitely making a difference.

I am at ZERO immunity, so I am taking great caution to keep away from germs.  However, I feel pretty good.

We continue to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and care during my health challenge.  Thanks to each of you who have helped us in some way.

“Lord, only You can repay to the saints the fitting reward for loving, Christian service.  Bless our friends with abundance of life and all good things.”

It’s day 5 and I’m doing well.

Patty and I are so very grateful for the liberal outpouring of love and prayer that each of you have expressed.  Actually, we are overwhelmed, and tears come to our eyes all day long to know how much you care.  I know I am being spared some of the normal pitfalls of this precedure because of the volume of SUPERNATURAL prayer support I am receiving because of faithful saints like yourself.  It means so much to us.

Each morning at the Bone Marrow Transplant Center (BMT) at Northside Hospital, I get a fresh blood test report that continues to reveal the elimination of my immune system.  We are all waiting for my own stem cells to “engraft” and begin replacing all cells that were “terminated.”  In a sense, I’m being reborn.

Death always precedes new life.  It’s God’s plan and process, yet we too often hold on to deathly elements in our lives, when ONLY GOD has the true power to preserve life.  I’m not preaching … I’m experiencing and testifying about the HOPE we all have in Christ when we allow the healthy “Death to Self” process to give NEW LIFE a chance. 

We can all abide in His comfort … for “I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES, and on the last day He shall rise to my defense.”  Job 19:25 (WYC)

Friday was called “Day One.”  It consisted of having my blood drawn to determine if I needed any supplements and to monitor the diminishing white cell count … ie. my immune system.  IV fluids were pumped in for the rest of the day.  We left home for Northside Hospital before 6 a.m. and got back just before 3 p.m.

Until the inserted stem cells engraft (begin functioning by producing cells again), I will be vulnerable, hence the isolation, frequent hand washing, wearing masks etc.

I must say, I feel guilty to have felt so decent all day.  They have me taking medications to help prevent nausea etc., and mouthwashes to deter the mouth sores.  Yuk.

Thanks for your prayer support.  I really want this procedure to work to its fullest effectiveness.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the effectiveness of the prayers of Your saints.  Please return strength and support to them for whatever challenge they may be going thru.  We all DESPERATELY NEED YOU!!!

I’m into my process now.  The Melphalan (chemo that kills all cells that reproduce, including hair) was injected yesterday, and today I will receive my own stem cells that were collected last July.  I feel fine right now.  However, I am told day 3 to 5 after the chemo is more difficult.  Please say a prayer for me.

I am living in 1 Thess. 5:18 right now, so I lift my hands in thanks to the Lord for my healing and my well-being.  I praise Him ahead of time as an act of faith.  “The just shall LIVE by their faith.”

Thanks for your prayer support and friendship.  I will keep you posted through this blog.

I had my port surgically inserted yesterday.  It is a plastic tube with three different valves that sticks out of my now shaved chest.  It gives medical personnel a place to inject or draw my blood without sticking me.  Tomorrow, it will facilitate the injection of the chemo that will kill most of my Myeloma cells.  Then on Thursday, it will conversely receive my stem cells which have been frozen since July.

The “trip” I’m referring to is the way Ketamine affected me.  It is the sedation drug the anesthesiologist used to keep me from feeling the pain of the port surgery.

I began regaining consciousness when they were rolling my gurney from surgery to the recovery room.  It was like nothing else I’d ever experienced … almost an out-of-body sensation.  Everything I saw or heard was distorted and unrealistic.  I had no pain, and no control as I returned to normal.  In that moment, it occurred to me … this is what the hippies meant when they talked about tripping.  Weird.

I am so grateful for the Lord’s care in situations like that.  We can rest in Him when being removed from our comfort zones.  Trusting Him to supervise every part of our lives takes away any fear of the unknown.  The words of a popular Christian tune are “In Christ alone, I place my trust.” 

Be sure to take Jesus with you on every “trip.”