The Journey Continues: Graft/vs/Host Disease

For those of you that have been following my husband's journey with Hodgkin's Lymphoma you know that he was diagnosed in 2009.  You also know that he has underwent many chemo treatments, a stem cell transplant in 2010 using his own stem cells and then last years transplant using a bone marrow donor.  The anniversary of that date is approaching and May 17th will be one year.  The last pet scan showed that he is in partial remission and the doctor stated that things were headed in the right direction.

Richard has had many graft/vs/host issues.  That new immune system didn't recognize its new home and created much havoc.  It helped fill up his lungs with fluids, shut down his kidneys and started chewing up his colon.  The good news is that the doctor knew what to do and started him on some new medicines and back on some of the old ones.  At this point, almost a year later, he is off most of those medicines and  he is actually down to five medicines a day, with some of those twice a day.  He does still have to have blood work weekly and knows the signs of graft/vs/host  and what to do if that happens.

In thinking about what my husband has been through this year with the graft/vs/host disease I have discovered that I have a disease similar to his.  It is called self/vs/Holy Spirit disease.  How many times have I put self to the front.  How many times have I just done what I wanted without heeding the Holy Spirit.  I have medicine but I lay it aside.  It is the Bible, prayer and the Holy Spirit.  I know the signs but sometimes I just ignore them.  I indulge in selfish desire and quench the Spirit.  Sometimes I let self chew up my insides until I finally pick up my medicine and take it daily.  I can feel the calming, soothing medicine as it tames me and reminds me to take my medicine daily.  My medicine reminds me that I had a donor.  That Donor was Jesus and He took my sins to the cross.  I know the signs of self/vs/Holy Spirit and I know what to do to keep the disease away!

                                   

Romans 15:13

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;