MEDICAL UPDATE

Sunday July 27, 2104

It’s been a mixed month with some good days and some bad days.     Fatigue is something I have faced pretty much every day which is hard for a pedal to the metal kind of guy like me but it is just something you can’t do anything about.    Life is like that and you either roll with the punches or drive yourself crazy.    Most days I’m good from about 7am - 3pm and then take a bit of a rest.
 

I have not had Chemotherapy since July 4.     We were able to schedule a break so that Wendy and I could take a couple of weeks vacation.    We were able to get away to the East Coast for an enjoyable trip though there were some rough days and on a couple of occasions we considered aborting the trip.
 

Once we returned to Toronto I had a very helpful Doctors appointment at Princes Margaret Hospital on Tuesday July 22.       Dr. Natalie Cook is very thorough and helpful in answering questions and helping us understand what is happening with my body.     She was able to give us the report from the Bone Scan I had and it is confirmed that the cancer has spread to my hip and one of my vertebra.     That, of course, was not good news.     Apparently it is very rare with this type of cancer for it to spread to the bone.    Of course I always have to do things the hard way.    I also found out that it is very rare with this kind of cancer to lose your hair but I’ve managed to do that too.     At first I really found myself being self-conscious about being bald and kept my cap on most of the time.    But you know, life will throw you curves and you can’t do one thing about it.     There are things in life, like getting cancer and going bald, that you can’t do anything about.    So rather than fight it I decided to embrace the baldness and sport Kojak look.      It’s happening whether I like it or not.      As I always said to my kids, "It’s not what happens to you but what happens in you that makes the difference."      Attitude is everything.
 

Each time they have measured the Cancer Markers in my body they have been down which means the cancer is decreasing in its activity but none the less still active.    Dr. Cook, however, seemed to be pleased that the markers were down and indicated that it would be months before we would have to worry about the effects of the disease having significant impact.     That does not mean, however, there are not complications as my body fights the disease and the chemotherapy.

 

Fatigue will be an increasing problem as will the pain from the bone cancer.    I’m not big on taking pain killers but have been taking Tylenol on some days to ease the pain a bit.     One of the main problems I’ve had has been a hacking cough that leaves me short of breath and which is often accompanied by a fever.     Once my temperature reaches 101ºf I am to go to Hospital Emergency in case there is an infection somewhere.    Dr. Cook has determined that there is an infection that has to be aggressively dealt with so the Chemo for this past Friday was cancelled so that the this infection could be treated with Steroids and Antibiotics.

 

Like I said, there are good days and bad days and I am thankful that God seems to give me special strength on Sundays so that I can continue to have the joy of preaching God’s Word to our congregation.     When you see me in public you may be fooled by my appearance because I seek to carry myself well and not whine too much or draw attention to myself. However, this disease continues to rage through my body and a Divine healing from God is the only thing that will keep me in this world so we covet your fervent and constant prayers.    

 

Our family continues to trust God with a rock solid faith knowing that He is good and though we certainly hope for a miracle know that failing that God has given us the incredible promise of Heaven and seeing Him face to face.     May I encourage you, that in whatever circumstance you find yourself, trust in God’s faithfulness to see you through and His incredible promises of eternity with Him.

 

Pastor Rick