“.
. . I wonder if I might have cancer somewhere in my body, and I'm slowly
dying! I was forty-two at the time and felt generally good except for
some recently noticeable digestive problems . . . At the clinic, the ultrasound
test was performed . . . then a more experienced adviser was called. Lots
of silence. The next morning, my doctor called and said I needed a CAT scan.
. . (Later) He greeted us in his office with these piercing words: ‘We
have found tumors in your pancreas . . . We suspect pancreatic cancer. We
can do a bypass to make your last days easier.’
“His
words, ‘make your last days easier’ rang through my mind. Did
Fred (her husband) hear that! Maybe I should just keep quiet and not imagine
he said those words. . .
“Well,
my surgery took about seven hours . . . Now thirteen years later, I am still
alive. I am in wonderful pain-free health, until the cancer comes back, which
has happened almost like clockwork every three years . . . Most pancreatic
cancer patients die within two years of diagnosis. Most do not even make it
back for their first checkup . . .
“. . . These
days I spend much time reading God's Holy Word. I claim His promises of someday
being with Him . . . ‘In
my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there
you may be also’” (Chapter
Five)
Vivian's
true faith in God and love from her husband and friends helped her endure
her life with cancer.
LIFE
WITH ARTHRITIS:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their statistics in a letter
and booklet by Gregory W. Heath, D.Sc., M.P.H. stated: “Arthritis –
the leading cause of disability.” (Chapter Twelve)
“.
. . arthritis flare-ups demand immediate medical attention . . . put stress
on the body, especially for those with multiple health problems . . .”
(Chapter Twelve)
“My
experience with arthritis is one example of an invisible, chronic, insidious
painful disease. I have osteoarthritis, which is a chronic disease requiring
daily treatment . . .” (Chapter Five)
“Coping
with a moment-by-moment arthritic body . . . I am determined to take advantage
of everything I physically can, to do what is medically prescribed, and not
give in to a debilitating disease by being inactive . . .”
(Chapter
Twelve)
Life
with arthritis, especially osteoarthritis, is an invisible chronic painful problem.
In many cases, friends and family have a feeling of disbelief because there
is no tangible evidence of the ongoing invisible chronic pain which, many times
is severe and reduces participation in activities. As one goes through a stressful
arthritis flare-up day, it is important to develop priorities to get through
such days. No one can actually see pain and therefore they cannot understand.
Listen to your body and live accordingly.
There are thirty-one “thereapy-at home” activities listed in Chapter
Fourteen.
LIFE
WITH DIABETES: "Norman was a rebellious teenager. At age fourteen,
he began having blurry vision . . . his mother noticed he was losing weight
and drinking water excessively. . . His mother became aware of his unusual symptoms
and took him to a doctor . . . The doctor recognized the symptoms and hospitalized
him with the diagnosis of diabetes. Insulin injections began . . .
“At age
twenty-eight, he preached on Sundays and worked full time during the week
as a diesel mechanic. While lying on a creeper under a truck one day, he passed
out. When he was revived, he knew something was drastically wrong. He had
been a diabetic for fourteen years, and he realized he had not 'taken real
good care of myself.'
" . . .
When he arrived at the doctor's office in critical condition . . . the doctor
wondered how he made it without being bought in on a stretcher. The news was
devastating, his kidneys were failing, his blood pressure and blood sugar
were out of control, his eyes were blurry . . . "
As of this
writing, Norman is forty-two. He is blind, has no fingers but one thumb, no
legs, a kidney transplant and chronic heart failure. He preaches every opportunity
he has and thanks God for always providing a driver. He has a strong, positive
attitude, writes songs and has a joyful voice and spirit. Norman is quick to
tell you that he is full of joy because
"In Thy presence is fullness of joy . . ." (Psalms 16:11b KJV) Norman
makes anyone happy who talks or reads about him. (Chapter Six)
BACK
PAIN – ANOTHER INVISIBLE CHRONIC PAIN:
“There is a phenomenon that occurs in a situation with prolonged pain,
which I believe is common. Over a period of some time, the onlookers generally
lost sympathy for the one suffering. Very likely, it is due to the victim's
success in dealing with pain, and the observer's inability to perceive that
great effort is constantly taking place. Most people dealing with prolonged pain, desperately long for a ‘normal’ life again, and they don't
want undue amounts of sympathy. If they feel they must constantly explain themselves,
it causes a damaging blow to their healthy reserve of self-respect. Often
the sufferer will attempt to accomplish things they should not.
“When
we think about it, immense amounts of sympathy and understanding flow when
we see someone suffering intense, short-term pain. Even when there is little
pain occurring at the time, sympathy is evoked when there is something visual
to relate to – such as a cast, a hospital room, etc. When the pain endures
over a longer period of time and the sufferer learns to work at living a ‘normal’
existence, the experience is moved under the surface . . .” (Chapter Five)
GOD
KNOWS OUR INVISIBLE CHRONIC PAIN: “. . . Nothing is invisible
to God and nothing is impossible with God . . . Until you have walked in my
shoes, and I have walked in yours, neither of us can know the other's pain .
. .” (Chapter Five)
|
INVISIBLE
CHRONIC PAIN BUT INSIDIOUS: “. . . diabetes, cancer, arthritis,
or a severe headache are just some of the painful problems that can easily be
invisible . . . But we who live in chronic pain can live above it as countless
others do every day . . . That is the purpose of this (how-to book” .
. . (Chapter Five)