A Week to Remember… God is Who He Says He Is - April 24, 2025

 

It has been a season of learning to live by Proverbs 3:5-6.  One week ago today, I had my marking, mold made & radiation treatment.  It’s been rough sledding for a while Friends.  But God has provided every step of the way!  It is amazing how He goes before us to make a path.  HE IS RISEN!

5“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

We hadn’t been on one in a long while, but it seems Jamie & went on one of our 23 hour adventures last Thursday April 17th and carried it over into the wee hours of Friday.  First we were at the radiation oncology section at the SJRH for 8:00am sharp, first got marked & to have a mold made to hold me in place. I am sure it is a strange sight.

As my Friend Emily Cleghorn said, “May the Lord help you be a pretzel .”   It was just the smile I needed that morning. 

Trish Parker said, “Twisted and Salty”   My warrior Friend, also cracks me up. 

I told Trish, “Now that you mention it, I think I’m all that & more.”  ” Just ask Jamie.  

Another Friend Joy suggested that they should inject me with rubber to help me be more flexible when getting in the contortionist positions and then holding my exquisite, ballerina  positions for the required length of time.    I told her it was a great idea but, “Unfortunately they couldn’t inject me with rubber, as I’m allergic to it?!?!  Latex.”   Though it was a great idea. 

After they marked & built my molds, we received a HUGE blessing.  The nursing staff gave me a more private area with a bed to lay down in and a chair for Jamie, complete with a privacy curtain, while we waited to receive the next step… my one-n-done radiation treatment.  It was such a blessing to have our own private area to wait till 3:20pm… I ate, rested & napped.  Later I would come to realize just how important those cat naps would be.  I know Lisa and Trish… “Jesus took naps.  Be like Jesus.”  One of the nurses even thought to order us bag lunches. With my allergies, I couldn’t eat mine, but I told them to please give it to someone else who might need it.  Jamie enjoyed his very much.  Those who know me, know we packed a gluten free lunch to bring with us.   The nurses & staff were so kind to us both and took such good care of me.  Another bonus was that the bed I was laying down on had an adjustable head.  Jamie could easily raise me up when it came time for a bathroom run.  I am pleased to tell you that he did not eject me by mistake. 

When 3:20pm came.  They helped me get lowered down onto to the radiation table.  Next they got me in position with my mold and lined things up perfectly.  I succeeded in holding my contortionist, “ballerina poses” for the required amount of time to receive my radiation treatments, to each of the areas, but no pirouettes were achieved on my part.  

When we crossed finish-line of entering through our home door… well God cautioned me to take a shower.  Before we left the hospital, the radiation nurse had warned me that the areas they had treated with radiation could have a flare up.    As you may have guessed, the flares went off simultaneous just as cautioned!  The pain was so excruciating that this chick couldn’t even get out of bed… Many unexpected colorful words ensued when I attempted and they were not used in vane.  Jamie had that special vehicle  come and take me to the Hospital ER in St. Stephen. There I stayed until they got my pain under control in the wee hours of the morning on Friday.  When they got the medications balanced to achieve pain management levels that I could bear...    Yes pain can turn you into a bear, but with all the drugs it was a sleepy, grateful  bear.  When the pain was under better control and I & could better assist myself with getting out of bed, then we were homeward bound, despite a generous, open invitation to stay.    Instead Jamie took his bride home “stoned” from the meds and put her to bed.  At this point, Jamie had chosen very wisely NOT to attempt to carry me over the “threshold”.   After all, It had been a very long 23 hour day. 

After being home for a couple days, I managed to get my strong medications down from 10mg to 5mg of morphine and my bone\nerve pain medication lowered too.  This was a big win for me… as I no long was sleeping ALL the time… though I am sure Jamie had enjoyed the rare gift of a quiet home, while it lasted.  I’m really not sure who was happier… Jamie or me when they got things balanced.  Yolande Stewart , my neighbor, came to babysit me while I was on all my meds so Jamie could do some errands.  Then on Easter Sunday Morning, Joy came over to baby Jamie’s “well medicated wife”.  We also got to watch  the Sunday Easter Service on-line with together.  Jamie served in the tech, sound booth and enjoyed the Easter Service from there at church.  God was so amazingly good.  What a beautiful service and to have a treasured Friend to share watching the Easter Service with, was a rich blessing.  Thank you to our tech team for making this possible. 

I may be a hard one to obtain silence from, so I am sure Jamie appreciated having this break from me.    Absence makes the heart grow fonder right?  

Oh It’s Flashback Thursday:

Many, many years ago, we were limited on our well water…   If you lived on Campobello Island or had well water, you are probably aware that can happen at times when rain has been limited.  When this occurred it was essential to space the normal daily things out throughout the day, so the well wouldn’t go dry.  You learned to become good at creating schedules.  Individuals showers had days & times assigned to them as to when they could be done;  and in these seasons, wash was done in our house at midnight.  Guess who was assigned to that task. 

One day I told one of my children, “It’s your turn to take your shower.”

The response of my sassy teen was, “I don’t want to take a shower.”

With just the right amount of sass back, my response was, “I don’t recall asking you if you wanted to take a shower.”

Then I went into my spiel of , “You know we have to watch how much well water we are using, because it’s been very dry out.  The well water is very low & extremely limited.  We don’t want the well to go dry.”

Then I repeated, “It’s your turn to take a shower.” 

The response was “No.  I told you that I don’t feel like taking a shower.”

Things had escalated, so my response took a new approach.  I secretly went to the fridge and squirted a mustard & Ketchup combo in the palm of my hand.  I walked back into to our dinning room and proceeded to smush the combo into the top of my their head and rub it in. 

Then I said, “Do you feel like taking a shower now?”

We both laughed.  Needless to say a shower was taken without any more argument or delay. 

My child may still be in therapy because of this incident.  I have never  asked.

Anyone have any good “well stories”?  They say that it is a deep subject. 

Now each day seems to be a little better and I praise God for that.   I am working on building my strength back up.  If you figure out a way to share some telepathically and you are willing to share, please let me know.  Jamie probably could use a dose too.  

Oh yesterday was also my every 4 week injection day.   Figured that I might as well step up to the plate & get it over with and recover from them both.  Was a hard crash Wednesday afternoon with a lovely, long nap.  Praying minimal reaction to the injection as I recover from the radiation side affects too.  I continue to wean myself off the strong ER meds. 

God teaches you a lot in the valley.  He truly teaches you to appreciate the smallest things in a very profound way.  The sunlight looks richer, the colors more vivid and the fresh air cleaner…

Hope this gives you a snap shot of the journey.  Please pray for all positive results from the radiation treatments.  I should be able to note changes as these next few weeks unfold.  Hopefully the radiation will have a good start on its positive results before I step into the next phase.  My goal is to be able to walk through the hospital to the areas for the next phase of testing.     

May 8th I have the privilege to meet my new oncologist for the first time.  On May 13th I will have my new CT and Bone Scans.  A HUGE thank you to the St. John team for scheduling them on the same day.  Just think, at least on the 13th, I’ll be on high doses of prednisone so I don’t have an allergic reaction to the dye.  I see snacks, snacks & more snacks in my future 

Thank you for your prayers, support through messages, phone calls, cards etc.  These are the things that help carry you and prayer does CHANGE things.  It brings comfort to know that others are praying for you.  If you could please continue to pray we would so appreciated it.  Especially now that Jamie can’t just knock me out with medication.  

Gratitude is the shape-shifter for our attitudes.  I continued to write my gratitude journal each day.  My handwriting is a little off on the days I had the extra strong medicines.  It looked much like a child who forged their parents writing on a note for school.