Praise God!!!

So, Mark feels so much better today than he has since Saturday. He still feels very tired, he is fighting a fever, and he has a hard time breathing calmly...but...he feels much better. Today, Mark woke up after finally breaking a fever with nausea. He would have vomited, but he had not eaten since Sunday so there was nothing in his stomach. He continued to fight with the fever into the early afternoon. They also gave him some medicine to help him urinate because he physically could not urinate. They also took a sample to test to try and figure out what is causing the problem. The doctors also did another CT scan of his chest to see about his pneumonia (he started coughing today and they want to make sure everything is ok).

By mid-afternoon, Mark ate half his chicken, half his mashed potatoes, and all of his chocolate cake. This is truly an answered prayer. He does not have the chest pain like he has the past few days, and he is in better spirits. The doctor changed his depression medication to wellbutrin, hopefully this medicine will work. I admit, when I walked in the room this evening after work, I could tell a difference in him immediately. It brought pure joy to my heart.

I want to say a great big thank you to Keith and Mary Johnson for staying with Mark today (and tomorrow). It helps me make it through the day at work knowing someone is here with him. He seemed to enjoy the visits, and he is looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow. Another big praise is McDonald's. I bought McD's tonight for dinner on the 1st floor and brought it to Mark's room to eat. He saw the bag and said "that looks good". Needless to say, Mark ate about half my fries. I was so happy, I offered to go get him more if he wanted them. Right now, he is thinking he will ask Keith to bring him some Chik-fil-A tomorrow cause I told him they have sweet potato fries now (which are awesome by the way - thanks for letting me try some Rory)! Anyway, as you can tell, I am so happy he is feeling better and eating better. Now we just need to get him moving more and keep him this way.

Prayer requests for today:
1. CT scan shows no pneumonia.
2. Mark's depression and anxiety get under control. I really think it will make all the difference.
3. His cell counts continue to drop (they dropped from 5.4 to 4.2 today YAY!!!)
4. The swelling in Mark's ankles goes away.
5. Mark feels up to seeing Brodie tomorrow. I know that will make him feel better too. On a side note, I feel confident our prayers will be granted because our little boy prayed for Jesus to make daddy feel better today. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will. I sure do love that precious little boy.

Keep the prayers coming and thank you all for your wonderful and encouraging comments on this blog. I really enjoy writing it, and I hope it helps each of you feel connected to us during this difficult time.

With a thankful heart,
Amanda