Quite a Ride

This has been quite a week.

I started the week just moving along fine. We were getting into a routine that was good. I had 3 time slots scheduled in the day time where friends came to sit with me and help me with some of my needs. Tom was able to go off to work while my friends stayed with me. Then Tom would come home at 11 and picked me up to take me to radiation treatment. We'd get home about 12, eat a little lunch and then he'd go on back to work and I stayed and rested with my friends there. We were staying on top of the pain and the nausea with a tight routine of meds.

Tuesday night there was a wonderful gathering of women at Downtown church that prayed for my healing and for the healing of many others that are dealing with cancer. I was not there...wish SO much I could have been, but I just quietly sat in my new recliner and prayed and worshiped in my heart while they were all at the building. I then received a little bit of texting from 2 friends that were telling me what songs were being sung and scriptures read. It was so touching. I heard many people say that they could feel the Presence of the Lord in the room, just a sweet love and unity in the prayers of the sisters there. What a honor and a gift! Thank you to all who attended and prayed with one heart for strength, healing and peace of those of us that are fighting this battle.

Wednesday I went to treatment again, but on Wednesday afternoon I noticed I wasn't feeling too well. I just kind of took it easy all afternoon, didn't eat much food, felt some nausea. I wondered if this was coming on me because of the treatments. My Tulip Street Bible Study girls showed up about 7 for Bible study in the living room. I had told them to come but that I would stay back in my bedroom. I just listened to their singing and rested while they were there. Some of them came back to my room to greet me and some of them prayed with me...so sweet.

The next morning I woke up feeling renewed. The nausea was better. We went to the treatment at 11, got back at 12, and right away I started feeling nauseated. My friend Liz brought me a little lunch, but I couldn't eat anything and I began feeling some pain in the middle of my abdomen, where I am receiving my radiation treatments. Very suddenly, within about a 30 min period, the pain and the nausea began to escalate out of control. I was feeling waves about every five minutes of extreme pain and nausea. We quickly called Tom and Kari (a young friend of ours who is an RN), and and they all came to see about me. Around the same time another RN friend, Patty, was driving down our street and felt like God prompted her to stop at our house. She walked in during all the chaos. God had sent in His troops. We made phone calls to the doctors and the decision was quickly made to send me to the hospital to stop the pain. An ambulance came to the house and transported me to our local hospital.(My first ambulance ride for myself). They administered Demarol and Zofran by IV and were able to stop the pain cycle immediately. It was around 4:30 pm, Thursday afternoon that I was finally stable again.

My radiology doctor came to our hospital and said she believed the sudden onset of pain was a violent response from the radiation treatment. She said that, for my next treatment, they would try to pre-medicate me with stronger pain and nausea meds to determine if a lack of medication was what had caused the pain to escalate.

So, Friday morning we took all the pre-medications and at 11 am I went to treatment. He took me straight back to the hospital and I rested all afternoon. No violent response. We decided it was the treatment that had caused the response.

I've been at White County over the weekend. Resting and still trying to get the nausea controlled.

Specific prayers...to get the pain and nausea meds just right; I have to get an IV redone today and that is always a challenge with my veins; and please pray for this coming week. I have 5 or 6 treatments to finish and I am not looking forward to it, but I need to do it. Also...continue to pray for all my precious family.

O God,
What can I say? I do not understand all that is unfolding but I hold my ground that this is NOT your will but You have allowed it so that redemption can come from the suffering. I look at the story of Abraham and Isaac, dear Father, and how he carried tools straight up the mountain, prepared to do the unthinkable, to kill his precious one. He did not know how You would come to his rescue but He chose to obey and see what You had planned. That is what I want to do. To obey, to walk forward and wait on You, O God, to rescue me from the this fire. I trust You. I trust You. I trust You. I will not turn away from Your eyes but will keep my eyes focused on You. You are the Only, the Faithful One, the Holy Redeemer and Comforter. You are my Life. I love You.
Your daughter forever,
Lisa