We have had the stomach ick make the rounds in the Baxter house. So far John has been safe...he really doesn't need that! I know most of you read this for updates on John, and I appoligize again for taking a break... Sara was sick, then I was. It really was awful, but then I think that I had it for 4 days and John feels like that most of the time... I think it's important to realize how much we take the simple daily health most of us enjoy for granted. When you're sick, sometimes you can't imagine getting thru the day and people who are going thru chemo feel that way all the time, and probably lots worse. I have been thanking God for health...we all really need to take care of ourselves (that means I gotta get a colonoscopy ugh) because our health is really quite a gift... Ok, off of soap box, thank you.
On last Monday John was officially re-classified (for lack of a better word) as CANCER FREE - IN FULL REMISSION. We were doing the happy dance, but it's a mixed blessing because he still has to do ALL 25 radiation treatments. Another surprise is that he is getting chemo. This is to help the radiation stick, but we really thought we were DONE with that. It's all good, and there's no cancer and that's what we really want but dang, I just want him to feel well and be able to eat. The radiation people think that he's going to be sick every day and that as he progresses eating will even get harder because his esophagus will get really swollen. So, dang!!! But CANCER FREE - that's good and certainly God is gracious!!!
John is at Notre Dame getting ready for the BC game. It's nice when he can work. It makes him happy, although today may not be one of those times...it's like 40 degrees & cloudy....We're praying for no rain...that really makes things miserable. I'll let you know what's going on with the radiation as we progress. Please keep praying>>>
He'll somehow not get that sick.
He'll be able to eat
Time will go quick
He will see God's hand in the miracle of his remission.
Ok, that's all for now.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Joy Joy Joy
Reading the comments from you makes me do the happy dance all over again. God is so amazing!!! I was so excited yesterday and you guys just reminded me of my joy and total amazement that God gives us each other to walk this crazy life together!! Just think, this little morsel of joy is how EVERY SECOND will be in heaven. Let's all get to work, get the word out that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son who "so loved us" and then he can come back and we can live in this joy always!!!
Love you all!!!
Love you all!!!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
PRAISING GOD AND DOING THE HAPPY DANCE
Dear friends, forgive me for abandoning you for the past several days. Life was unbearably hard and I just didn't have the energy. We have rode the roller coaster of chemo, sick, feel better, chemo, sick etc... John has lost all of his hair, he looks like Daddy Warbucks..he's ADORABLE. I'm not kidding he looks so cute. I still like him better with a beard, but the bald head is kinda sexy :). He says that people are looking at him now, he does look like a guys who is sick.
(This is going to be one of my mini-novel posts...sorry)T
oday is one of those sick after chemo days. Yesterday was so bad he couldn't really even move much. At least he has his comfy recliner to sit in. So, he's really sick and I've titled this one praising God and doing the happy dance.. I'm not a thoughtless shrew that takes pleasure in her hubby's pain..we have real reason to celebrate....
John is thru with all of his chemo PRAISE GOD!!! I've said it before, but until you walk thru this with someone, you just can't even imagine how hard it is on them. It's so hard on your body that even your finger nails stop growing... GEEZ, but that's still not why we're doing the happy dance.
John had his post-chemo endoscopy today to see what type of progress we are making in this fight. We went to the same place where he was 1st diagnosed...were in the exact same pre-op room (that was weird - there's like 15 rooms...) and the same Dr. did this procedure did the 1st one. When John was all done, the Dr came out to the waiting room to get me...that scared the beejeebers out of me. I thought that Dr's only delivered the bad news...well I was wrong! His 1st words to me were "If I didn't know where I was looking I would have thought his esophagus was non-remarkable - Yea, the tumor... GONE!!! Like Gone, gone. They did a biopsy to check the surrounding tissue because the tumor had gone into the tissue right at the sight of the tumor but hadn't spread very far, so there may be some microscopic cells running around, but the tumor is gone. THAT'S WHY WE'RE PRAISING GOD AND DOING THE HAPPY DANCE. The nurse in the recovery room even did the happy dance with me - I'm not even kidding :)
He is by no means done with his treatment. We still have the 25 rounds of radiation and the surgery to remove his entire esophagus to go, but I know that God is working one of his miracles in the throat of my sweet husband!!!
God is hearing and answering your prayers exactly the way we hoped...by healing him from his cancer, but please, don't stop praying!!
Up to today, this has been an awful week. Beside John being really sick from this round of chemo, one of Sara's friends named Mercedes, and the younger sister of one of Sam's very best friends, died unexpectedly - she was 11, (which is another story that I'll share some other time). I also knew her and her brother and older sister I couldn't understand this at all...like Sam & Sara don't already have enough to deal with and these then this. In addition to watching Sam and Sara grieve over their friends.. These 3 kids are very dear to me as well... They are such GREAT kids and, 11 year-olds aren't sposta die. Because of this, I fell into a slimy pit. God once again showed how mighty he is by lifting me right out of that pit. (see Psalm 40)
I am doing a Beth Moore bible study called "Believing God" (http://www.lifeway.com/believinggod/ -that's the web site, don't know how to do links...) She breaks the Believing God component into 5 Truths that you can use your hand to recite and remember them..ya know, just something cute & fun to remember. Here's what they are, starting with your thumb:
GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THRU CHRIST
GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN ME... Then you use that hand and point to your self, say I"M, point to your brain and say BELIEVING and you point up and say GOD. It's just silly fun to help us remember so very serious truth OK now on to why that matters...,
Last night I asked the women in this study to pray for me.. But because of this and of course the ongoing burden of seeing John so sick and knowing there is absolutely NOTHING I can do to fix it, I was a mess.I'm not good at asking for prayer cuz I'm the PRAY-ER not the PRAY-EEEE which is a huge pride issue that God keeps knocking me over the head with... anyway, I asked for prayer and what happened in that room last night was amazing. God showed up big time. I sent the women an e-mail today thanking them for their sincere prayers. Stick with me...God is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do. Here's part of the e-mail I sent (told you this would be a mini novel..or does this qualify for a full blown novel now):
This morning I woke up and felt lighter, really lighter. I still mourn for Mercedes family, and will be reaching out to Lexi tomorrow (you can pray for that :) ) but I just didn't feel the heavy weight on my head. THAT IS GOD!!!
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO!!!
As if that wasn't enough of a hug from God, he also decided that he would show me a little more of His glory today. John had a post-chemo (praise God we're thru that part) endoscopy today to check the progress of the chemo. Well, the tumor - GONE!! The Dr. said that if he didn't know where he was looking for the tumor (same doctor who did the original procedure) he would think that John had a normal esophagus. Did I mention....
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO!!!
God is still out and about, here on this earth using his people to work all things for good. Romans 8:28 -And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose
PRAISE YOU GOD!!! GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN ME!!!
Now I get to go sit in the rain and watch my son play football. Oh Joy!
Sorry this is so long, hope that Blogger doesn't kick me out :).
(This is going to be one of my mini-novel posts...sorry)T
oday is one of those sick after chemo days. Yesterday was so bad he couldn't really even move much. At least he has his comfy recliner to sit in. So, he's really sick and I've titled this one praising God and doing the happy dance.. I'm not a thoughtless shrew that takes pleasure in her hubby's pain..we have real reason to celebrate....
John is thru with all of his chemo PRAISE GOD!!! I've said it before, but until you walk thru this with someone, you just can't even imagine how hard it is on them. It's so hard on your body that even your finger nails stop growing... GEEZ, but that's still not why we're doing the happy dance.
John had his post-chemo endoscopy today to see what type of progress we are making in this fight. We went to the same place where he was 1st diagnosed...were in the exact same pre-op room (that was weird - there's like 15 rooms...) and the same Dr. did this procedure did the 1st one. When John was all done, the Dr came out to the waiting room to get me...that scared the beejeebers out of me. I thought that Dr's only delivered the bad news...well I was wrong! His 1st words to me were "If I didn't know where I was looking I would have thought his esophagus was non-remarkable - Yea, the tumor... GONE!!! Like Gone, gone. They did a biopsy to check the surrounding tissue because the tumor had gone into the tissue right at the sight of the tumor but hadn't spread very far, so there may be some microscopic cells running around, but the tumor is gone. THAT'S WHY WE'RE PRAISING GOD AND DOING THE HAPPY DANCE. The nurse in the recovery room even did the happy dance with me - I'm not even kidding :)
He is by no means done with his treatment. We still have the 25 rounds of radiation and the surgery to remove his entire esophagus to go, but I know that God is working one of his miracles in the throat of my sweet husband!!!
God is hearing and answering your prayers exactly the way we hoped...by healing him from his cancer, but please, don't stop praying!!
Up to today, this has been an awful week. Beside John being really sick from this round of chemo, one of Sara's friends named Mercedes, and the younger sister of one of Sam's very best friends, died unexpectedly - she was 11, (which is another story that I'll share some other time). I also knew her and her brother and older sister I couldn't understand this at all...like Sam & Sara don't already have enough to deal with and these then this. In addition to watching Sam and Sara grieve over their friends.. These 3 kids are very dear to me as well... They are such GREAT kids and, 11 year-olds aren't sposta die. Because of this, I fell into a slimy pit. God once again showed how mighty he is by lifting me right out of that pit. (see Psalm 40)
I am doing a Beth Moore bible study called "Believing God" (http://www.lifeway.com/believinggod/ -that's the web site, don't know how to do links...) She breaks the Believing God component into 5 Truths that you can use your hand to recite and remember them..ya know, just something cute & fun to remember. Here's what they are, starting with your thumb:
GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THRU CHRIST
GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN ME... Then you use that hand and point to your self, say I"M, point to your brain and say BELIEVING and you point up and say GOD. It's just silly fun to help us remember so very serious truth OK now on to why that matters...,
Last night I asked the women in this study to pray for me.. But because of this and of course the ongoing burden of seeing John so sick and knowing there is absolutely NOTHING I can do to fix it, I was a mess.I'm not good at asking for prayer cuz I'm the PRAY-ER not the PRAY-EEEE which is a huge pride issue that God keeps knocking me over the head with... anyway, I asked for prayer and what happened in that room last night was amazing. God showed up big time. I sent the women an e-mail today thanking them for their sincere prayers. Stick with me...God is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do. Here's part of the e-mail I sent (told you this would be a mini novel..or does this qualify for a full blown novel now):
This morning I woke up and felt lighter, really lighter. I still mourn for Mercedes family, and will be reaching out to Lexi tomorrow (you can pray for that :) ) but I just didn't feel the heavy weight on my head. THAT IS GOD!!!
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO!!!
As if that wasn't enough of a hug from God, he also decided that he would show me a little more of His glory today. John had a post-chemo (praise God we're thru that part) endoscopy today to check the progress of the chemo. Well, the tumor - GONE!! The Dr. said that if he didn't know where he was looking for the tumor (same doctor who did the original procedure) he would think that John had a normal esophagus. Did I mention....
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO!!!
God is still out and about, here on this earth using his people to work all things for good. Romans 8:28 -And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose
PRAISE YOU GOD!!! GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN ME!!!
Now I get to go sit in the rain and watch my son play football. Oh Joy!
Sorry this is so long, hope that Blogger doesn't kick me out :).
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