Monday, March 14, 2011

My Daily Grind, and What I'm Thankful For

I last wrote in December, and there's not much to tell. I haven't had any recent scans to tell how my cancer is responding to chemo, but I can update you on my daily battle. I'm roughing it. I previously mentioned my active bowels, and a temporary solution of giving myself a daily enema. That worked for a little while, until a wound opened up, which still hasn't quite healed. There's a pain like no other when you try to pass an enema over an open wound. I tried pushing past the pain, but succeeded in repeatedly hurting myself with no results. Not pleasant! So I'm back to spending an eternity on the toilet every day. It's very time consuming, some days as much as a full time job. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not. I wish it were. I'm often so worn out that I have to take a nap after a long toilet session. It sometimes leaves me feeling very weak and sore, like my intestines are about to spill out of my body. Sleep is all I can do. I'd guess that it gets that intense about 3 or 4 times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. It's not consistent. Yesterday was a good day, so I write. I should be getting another CT scan soon. I'll be speaking with my doctor about that today when I go in for chemo.

I'm frustrated mostly, as my bowels are a tremendous challenge. But I get encouragement from friends. One friend recently told me to, "keep stabbing the beast." That put a smile on my face for a day or two. I called another encouraging friend the other night. That conversation will carry me another day or two. I realize I should also be relying on God for my strength. I'm still lacking in that area. I recently got some sound practical advise about all that. I need to apply it.

For those who know that my husband is from Japan, all of his family is fine. They weren't physically effected by the quake, nor the tsunami. I spent this morning looking at hundreds of photos. My heart aches for Northern Japan. I've actually spent some time there and in some ways, it reminded me of home, with its fishing ports and small towns. It's true that my life is very difficult in many ways. But after looking at those photos, I can't help but feel guilty for grumbling and complaining in my heart about the things I am dissatisfied with (I'm not talking about bowel issues here, but matters of the heart). God bless and help the people in Northern Japan, and in other parts of our globe for that matter. There's so much trouble; in areas like Egypt, Libya, and other Muslim nations. We in the U.S. are blessed to be safe and free. Sure there were millions of dollars in damage done to the boats and yachts in Crescent City, CA. But come on, really? I saw no devastation. With the tragic exception of that 20 year old young man who got too close to the waves and lost his life over a photo op. At least he had a choice, unlike the victims in Japan.

2 comments:

  1. Oh Stacy, God bless you for thinking about other people during this time. We love you, honey.

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  2. Auntie Stacy, I think of you every day! It's probably difficult for you to write these blogs but I truly appreciate being able to check up on you! I'm still praying, and I'm so relived that none of your family was harmed in Japan. Cody and I were curious about that. Love you!

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