Progress

The news from Dr. H - Radiation Oncologist: I am continuing to heal amazingly well from the radiation treatments. A walking advertisement of God's healing power - all be it invisible . . . The tumor is ENTIRELY GONE. Praise God! Apparently they don't all just disappear like that. I got lucky - I got blessed.

The news from Dr. A, Surgeon in charge of gallbladder: He doesn't think my situation is urgent and he recommended I wait until November to see him. This is good, as it seems the gb is continuing to settle down, and I will have plenty of time to continue my observations, the latest being: the gb doesn't like me to be hungry and it doesn't like me to be stressed/excited. It doesn't seem to care much what I eat. Within reasonable boundaries, of course. Not having a double order of McDonald Fries any time soon. Um, not that I ever have had a double order of them . . .

I am back to work 20 hours/week. I'm happy to be there as long as I don't have to multitask, which disturbs the gb. I am definitely ready for the couch after 4 hours though. Have a ways to go to 100%. Like months.

I am so grateful for progress, and that the tumor is gone, and that the gb is quieting down. By the grace of God these blessings have come to me. I neither necessarily deserved them or did anything on my own to make them happen. It's all by the hand of God.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

Psalm 86:12

The Organ with a Mind of Its Own

What DO I do with this thing? It is not exhibiting anything resembling consistent behavior.

On Thursday Doc. S, my primary, said, 'Don't eat fat, not even olive oil.' OK, I did my best, ate almost no fat, and passed a rather awful night. Found my heating pad, and extra strength Tylenol and put them to work at around midnight. The pain subsided to a dull roar, but I did not get to sleep until 4AM. And no, I did NOT play with any electronics. I just lay there thinking my thoughts and praying my prayers.

The next day I had no energy for much of anything, due, I assume to lack of sleep. Daytime pain was minimal, but as bedtime neared, things began going south. Got pretty scared. Dug out the morphine, praying and praying I wouldn't have to take it. First I took the evening Aleve pill. Then I carried the morphine and the freshly charged heating pad to the bedroom. I lay down with the heating pad, and , , , before getting to the tylenol, never mind the morphine, I fell asleep!

Yesterday I awoke feeling almost perky, and went to the office for two hours (sitting in the office chair is still something of a problem) and then hung out with family until mid-evening. Ate some contraband - low fat sour cream, avocado, cheese, tortilla chips. Figured I would have to pay for it. Not. Not a peep from the organ. Went to bed without the heating pad, even.

Today has been lovely. Nearly normal! When I woke up the sky was gray and the wind was blowing and it had been raining. Ikky day? NO! I felt energized! Could not resist having a gallbladder unfriendly half cup of coffee. Then I put cheese in my egg and butter on my toast. Participated in all church activities and went to community care group in the early evening. I availed myself of more opportunities to eat gb unfriendly food.

Bed time is now approaching, and still not a peep out of the organ. So, will it pull a fast one, or let me sleep tonight? I am clueless.

Stay tuned . . .

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6

And the Doctor Says . . .

There is no danger in waiting for Dr A to get back. I can use tylenol to control the pain if it is keeping me up at night, or I can break into the morphine (Ugh! No!! Pray I don't need that, although a little bit in the middle of the night probably wouldn't bother me.)
Also, I must try to eat no fat at all. Not even olive oil. No comment.
The silly organ has been pretty quiet all day, only acting up after I left the doc and was driving to the office. It felt nasty for awhile, but I was able to work, and by the time I left two hours later it had subsided.
More people were inspired to pray - wow. It is tempting to write it off to coincidence, and some of you doubtlessly will, but the believers among you are thanking God for revealing His power and love! Me included.
The doc enjoyed the idea that the 'we're going to see the doctor, so all symptoms will hereby vanish' syndrome kicked in. That is just as coincidental/real, depending on how you tilt the viewer.
I can't deny that a friend was praying just around the time the symptoms went away while I was at the office, AFTER the doc.
AND! My energy held up all day! Went for a walk this evening. Figured if a walk uses up all my energy, it should happen at the end of the day. Duh.
Also, doc gave me a flu shot, a pneumonia shot and an Rx for a shingles shot, and took blood to check my thyroid level - could be contributing to tiredness. Very fruitful visit.
So, overall, my spirits are greatly lifted. Thank you for praying. Thank you for sending good thoughts. Thank you for being my friends.

A longing fullfilled is sweet to the soul.

Proverbs 13:19

God Hears. God Answers.

This morning this message from my friend S was in my email:

Oh Molly, I will be praying about your gall bladder trouble.  Mine was removed several years ago but I still remember vividly that intense pain - worse than childbirth, I thought at the time.  I pray and pray ...

And here's what happened to me, as I told it to S:

Dear S,

Praise God, my pain has been nowhere near that of childbirth!! But it does go on steadily for hours, rather than in waves like childbirth. Bearable, but very wearing.

HOWEVER, my dear, your prayers brought a miracle! Last night I had NO PAIN, and had the first decent night's sleep I've had in nearly a week. What a difference in energy - I feel almost perky!

God is so ready to demonstrate his love and his power to us when we call on Him! Praise His Name!!

Oh, and thank you for your heartfelt prayer!!

Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalm 86:17

In fact, here is the whole psalm, which was part of my Bible reading this morning. I made the parts bold that especially speak to me today.

A prayer of David.

1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. 6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. 8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. 14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life-- men without regard for you. 15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. 17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
 Psalm 86:1-17

Patience . . .

Poor neglected blog.
Well, this recovery business is a bit of a slog, and offers little inspiration for creative writing.
I still itch (but healing is going on there), and I still don't have much energy.
And, to add to the mix, my gall bladder (remember Dr. A discovered 'junk' in it back in June) is acting up. As in belly pain, often coming at night, making it difficult to get to sleep. It may be an energy drain as well.
So, I'm off to consult with my primary physician, Dr G, tomorrow.

On Sunday Pastor J preached on Romans chapter 15.
Here's something Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans 15:13
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.

I am so very grateful that I know and trust God and believe in His Son Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. At this point I think I would be quite miserable without my faith. As it is, I am at peace in my spirit. God's plan is just plain way bigger than my human agenda, and I can and do trust Him. However, prayers for patience with the healing process and other assorted health issues are appreciated.

Happy Day

Daytime highs are in the mid 90's
I don't have air conditioning, and neither do all the kids who have started back to school.
I hope all those kids can find stuff to be happy about like me.
Today was my first full day without morphine!!!!
To celebrate, I drove the car to the grocery store.
Oh boy, do I feel better. It's hard to describe the side effects that were there, and now are not there. I somehow simply feel cleaner, in mind and body.
But I remain grateful for the morphine that did its job when I needed it.
I do still have a sore butt, and will need pillows or something to put on any chair I need to sit in for more than two minutes, but it's a totally manageable sore butt, with a little help from Aleve.
Hooray!
Let the miracle of healing continue.
In the name of your Son Jesus Christ, I thank you, most gracious and loving God.

Bigger Steps

All parts of workout (cardio, stretch, weights) are in place - even though at just 25%.
Vacuumed 1/2 the living room. The bad news is that the other 1/2 looks awful.
Morphine is at 1/2 minimum dose. Still need that little bit. Itching can be fierce at times.
Completely caught up with work emails and professional online magazines.

I need to learn to blog in the morning, along with everything else. Afternoon and evening are still subject to unscheduled naps and general tiredness. Of course, the morning routine has now gone into afternoon. Partly 'cause I slept til nearly 9AM! Ten hours??! Well, that's how we let the healing happen.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:7-11

Baby Steps

How big is it to have done these things today:

• Swept the bathroom. (No, toilets is not a baby step.)
• Vacuumed abut 20% of the living room, and dusted.
• Caught up personal bookkeeping!! (But not medical bills. Med. bills is not a baby step. Note, no worries, the bills are paid for, just need to be accounted for.)

It helped that I only had one nap.
Two people said I had more color than last they saw me.
Saw Dr. H. He continues to be delighted with my progress in healing, particularly the radiation burn area.

God works miracles - works only God can do - in all of us every day.
In me, today, more healing.
Thank you, God for your abundant blessing of healing, and for financial provision!

Onward, in Christ.