Joy and suffering. Early on in the blog I shared this message that I had heard from Revelation Wellness podcast. Joy in the right hand and suffering in the left, at the same time. I keep coming back to it as I look at my face in many of these photos is filled with complete joy. This is ONLY from Jesus and would not be possible without him as my Saviour. I am in this place where I am not afraid, I am not worrying, I am not thinking ahead. I am just enjoying each day and knowing that God is using my time here to heal me in more ways than one. The picture my sister caught of me laughing, I normally would have deleted it because of all the wrinkles, lol. Instead I am sharing it because, in the middle of it all, there IS JOY! Do you see it?! John 15:11 I have told you these things SO THAT you will be filled with my joy. yes, your joy will overflow! I love the promises in the bible that use “SO THAT”. That brings me to the verse the lord gave me early on in this journey. 2 cor. 1:3-4 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. god is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in ALL our troubles SO THAT we can comfort others. when they are troubled, We will be able to give them the same comfort god has given us. As we walk through the valley, God IS with us. yes, there are hard days, physically and mentally. Last night I started crying thinking that I haven’t seen my kids in over a month and my husband in 2 1/2 weeks by the time he comes back. It feels daunting if I think about it, I miss my people. but God is my source of comfort and I will keep my eyes looking up. God uses EVERYTHING for His good and glory.
I am grateful for my family taking turns pampering me! Yes, I am spoiled:) my sister came in on Sunday and has taken over the head and face massaging position of mom! she won’t let me massage her either. I have to keep these hands strong somehow! Tuesday, Jaimee gave me with a mani/pedi and massage while I was in bed (you can see the picture of how that turned out, she put me right to sleep, ha-ha!). Then last night she dyed my gray roots (yes, it is chemicals. yes, this is one thing I am going to keep doing. I am not ready to be solid gray at 46 and life is about balance!). so, today I feel like a new woman!
Sunday, once Jaimee was dropped off at the hotel, we walked down to a Restaurant Called Alma Verde, for dinner and then came back to get settled. Monday Jaimee got the tour and to meet all of the awesome doctors and nurses, and friends that are left! September is a slower month at the clinic, so it just doesn’t seem the same when so many have come and went. There are a few of us that are doing the IPT, so I appreciate having the familiar faces around. Monday I did the methylene blue/phototherapy, oxygen chamber, curcumin IV with red light over my abdomen, H2 inhaler, Poly MVA IV, PEMF and Vibe plate. We were done by 2 and had a late lunch. Jaimee had brought me a BUNCH of new vitamins that they are recommending for IPT. I feel like my stomach has been upset for the last two days. Please pray that my stomach will quickly get use to the changes! We had to zip back to the clinic to pick up ALL of the home kit, which included vitamins, powders and injections. As you can see by the picture of the table full of things! I was fine with all of the new vitamins Jaim brought, but then seeing all of the additional things, Ugg. I am mostly concerned that there will be no room for food! funny but not funny!
Tuesday, I did the usual therapies and one IV of CBD 100mg. this has anti-tumor effects and makes me feel very relaxed! I saw Dr. Mercado and asked to visit with him regarding ALL of the vitamins. We sat down and went over certain home vitamins that I can pause for now. It is still a LOT! But it does seem more manageable for me and can make it work, if my darn stomach will settle down. He is one of my favorite doctors here, he has a great positive attitude. Dr. Mercado is a functional medicine doc, and so I just see eye to eye with him. We tease each other a lot, which is exactly what I need! I also asked to be weighed, confident I gained 5 lbs… but I lost another 2lbs. prayers for no more weight loss! I am eating red meat and eat often, it just isn’t “sticking to my ribs”. the IPT and Heckel will both combat me gaining. Then, we came back to the hotel for a quick lunch and then had to run back to the clinic to pick up one last thing from my homecare kit. my sister is getting to use all of her skills, Cosmetologist and nurse! she had to give me two injections yesterday, Mistletoe and Sunivera. Sunivera stimulates the macrophages (which gobble up bad cells) and Mistletoe is a great antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory. Mistletoe also helps to reduce side effects of chemo and decrease tumor size! This is part of my home care, but I will wait as long as I can talk other people into doing it for me. We continue to walk daily 4-6 miles., it is easy to do that when you don’t have a car. I do have assess to rides from Hope4Cancer but 95% of the time I choose walking! I am so grateful to be able to use these legs!
Wednesday is a similar day to Mondays, with the Curcumin IV and Poly MVA, plus the other usuals! We went back for lunch and then sat in the courtyard for hours talking with new friends Sandy and Michael. they are from Chicago and Sandy is here doing treatment at a different cancer center called St. Andrews. there are so many different clinics here I have learned. They love Jesus, it has been a joy to learn about their journey and family. Every day is a blessing, and I am so grateful for ALL of the beautiful people I have met and learn from. Then we went for a long walk by the ocean and came back to make dinner and a few more vitamins. You can see the laser watch; I look like a power ranger! The additional thing I am holding I place on my Abdomen. I take Curcumin and Metachlor, which are both activators for the cancer, then wait 30 Minutes and wear the watch and laser pad for an hour. I do this in the morning and evening each day. I also took a yoga mat from the clinic (with permission!) and hope to start adding yoga and body weight workouts into my life again. There is a very nice gym next to our hotel, which may be great when Matt gets here! I need to try to pump these muscles back up again!! I am grateful for this special time with my sister, she is a rockstar and is loving me well!
Acts 4:12 “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Romans 10:9-10 If you openly declare that Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you WILL be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
It is pretty simple, yet we make it complicated. There is nothing we have to do to earn it. Jesus is enough for all of us! he desires our whole heart and not chasing after things of this world. prayer requests are that my stomach will settle down from the new vitamins, and I will continue to gain strength and weight each week. In the waiting…I will keep my hands lifted, worshiping the Creator, hearing His whispers to my spirit and watch, in awe, of how God is using all of the people around me to touch and inspire me. It is so good! We ALL have a story. I really believe when you come to the end of yourself, you truly see people as God sees them, that is my prayer. Holy spirit come, awaken us to what you want to teach us and use us to grow your kingdom! Amen.