Tuesday 12/19 Update





Good morning!

Today is my brother's birthday.  I've missed so many birthdays while being in the hospital or recovering.  Happy birthday Brandon!!  I love you and miss you!

I am tired but starting to catch up on my sleep.  Some nights I rest well and other nights I don't.  Last night I didn't rest as well as I had hoped.  I've been doing well eating my bland diet of mostly eggs, toast, bananas, fruit cups, yogurt, chicken and rice.  If I get too adventurous, my digestive system gets mad.  Thank you to everyone who has brought meals and groceries - you all have been such a blessing.  The refrigerator is packed with groceries, and we all know that food means love.  I've loved seeing you all and chatting with you.  Seeing people makes me so happy.

My arms are finally starting to heal where my three IVs were.  Thank you for praying for my right arm!  I can get it mostly straight now - praise the Lord!  I was worried I might be stuck with a T-Rex arm forever.  My prayer requests are being answered one by one.

I have some new requests.  I have a follow up appointment with my surgeon on January 2nd and an appointment with my oncologist on December 26th to discuss the possibility of doing chemo.

Please pray for:

~ God to guide my doctors, me and Trevor on whether or not I should pursue chemo

~ God to grant me complete remission to continue living and serving Him

~ God to reduce the tumor marker levels in my body

~ increased strength and endurance for walking

~ rapid healing from surgery so that I can enjoy Christmas more

~ Trevor to get better rest

My pain and discomfort are slowly starting to come down.  I'm taking pain meds once a day at night before bed to help me sleep.  I can't wait to feel back to my normal self again, but I feel like this is going to be a long process at the rate I'm going.  God is growing my patience and endurance.  I've learned so much through this.  I'm grateful to God and His people for carrying me through all this.

All the doctors and surgeons in the hospital said that they are seeing an increasing rate of young people in their 30s coming down with colon cancer out of nowhere.  They don't know what's causing it.  Please pray for God to grant them wisdom to figure this out and find ways to prevent it.  Having cancer at 30 something is too young, and I don't want others to have to go through this.  They say being young and otherwise healthy should help my recovery, but it has been slow as molasses!  I'm not good at patience.  I miss life.  I miss all of you.

I've always been a Corrie ten Boom fan.  Her family hid Jews during the Holocaust and were caught.  The Nazis put her and her family in concentration camps.  Her father and sister died in those concentration camps, but she survived.  She watched a Nazi beat her sister.  Years afterwards she traveled the world speaking to people about everything her father taught her about the Lord and forgiveness.  After giving a speech on forgiveness, a man approached her saying he was a former Nazi and extended his hand to shake hers.  She immediately recognized the man as the one who beat her sister.  In that moment God gave her the grace to reach out and shake his hand, extending forgiveness for the heinous crimes he committed against her.  She knew that God has so freely forgiven us for every sin on account of Christ, that we too must freely forgive one another.  This is one of my favorite Corrie ten Boom quotes:

"When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight.  When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through your whole life.  When Jesus leads you through your whole life, He brings you safely home."

I've found this to be so true in past challenges and especially now.  Christ brings so much comfort.  Even going into pre-op I had so much peace.  At the end of the day I know I am in His loving and gracious hands.  He has been good to me.  Far beyond what I deserve.  What an amazing God.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still".  Exodus 14:14

Yours in Christ,

Laura

xoxoxoxoxo

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